The Autumn Room
by Sayuri-Jen
Summary: A strange room where time has ceased. An unfortunate end. Emotions that go astray. A twisted past that is to be revealed...
1. Prologue

_This is a 'sequel', if you will, to __Whispering Pages__ - timeline wise. _

ტThe Autumn Roomტ

Prologue

The dreams came during the last week of September.

They were the same two that continued night after night as if a broken record – nightmares that wouldn't go away. In the first dream, a young girl appeared.

Mai couldn't recognize her. Perhaps it was because the surroundings were lit only by the darkest shades of night. Or perhaps it was because the girl had no face. She giggled and spoke to Mai without lips or a mouth, the sounds echoing in the thick air from every angle. She looked at Mai with dull markings where the eyes should have been. A sense of danger rose and the girl whispered, _"Don't be afraid. It all ends here."_

The tone of voice, however, indicated otherwise and made realization sink in like a knife. It was as if the girl was meaning to say the opposite: "_Be afraid. It all begins here."_

The second part of the dream, Mai suspected, was the 'here' the girl was referring to.

The doors to the large house always welcomed her in with discreet intentions. Whether it was an old Victorian mansion one night or a run down apartment building the next, there was always the door to a certain room that appeared. She would be walking down hallways adorned with either plain walls, mounted tapestries, or famous paintings. Following behind would be her friends from school or members of the SPR office, enjoying the tour of what seemed to be her own home.

And always, Mai would pass by a wall where the hidden door would be standing – silent and undemanding. Her companions would pass by unawares, the door hidden to them as the metal key within her pocket. No matter how she held or ran her fingers on it, the coldness of its touch would not disappear. No matter how many times she'd entered the key to the lock, Mai couldn't enter.

It wasn't the eerie images and hints of danger lurking in every hall that entitled Mai to label these dreams as nightmares. It was the fact that she could feel a type of confusing attraction to the door and the house. It was from her intuitions telling her that perhaps something more sinister was to come, and that a dark secret was to reveal itself and swallow her in.

And most frighteningly, it was that perhaps these dreams were a terrible omen, that someday she would come in contact with them.

Both the door and the young, faceless girl.

* * *

To be continued in **Chapter 1: Encounters**


	2. Chapter 1 Encounters

**ტTheAutumnRoomტ**

**October 12th **

_ "Another victim was found buried not far from where she was murdered...the identify of the 3rd victim is yet to be revealed, but it has been confirmed that...same killer..."_

_Click._

It was disgusting. Partly because Mai knew that the murders were not the work of any spirits but of living human beings, and because the killer had been evading the police for so long. Every day during dinner Mai would turn on the radio and hear of accidents, missing people reports, and now of things like this. It was becoming increasingly dangerous to be out at night – especially if you were an alone teen who was heading home after work. Takigawa had insisted on giving her rides, but she'd declined the kind offer. She was sure her old Bou-san had a busy life of his own and if he went out of his way to drive her what was only a 20 minute walk, how soon would it be before she became a burden?

The silence after she'd turned off the radio was becoming unnerving. Finding that her appetite had disappeared, Mai pushed the steaming dish of curry away and brought her chin to a raised knee. "Some floor mats would be nice." She muttered. However, ever since moving closer to her new college, she'd been tight on money. Lots of cooking and working two part time jobs had become the norm. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ordered take out. But she made it through the lonely days by reminding herself that no matter how hard it would get, that others were suffering more. Every evening announcement proved it.

With a lift of a shoulder to adjust her loose blouse, Mai gazed dejectedly around her meager apartment. After the last case at Suzuki Academy, Mai had decided that it would be her last. At least until she could regain a normal-ish lifestyle at college. She couldn't miss as many college days of class as she had in high school.

Saying goodbye hadn't been as horrible as she thought it would be, because it hadn't really been a separation. Yes she'd no longer be working there – and it pained her to think that Naru would hire another girl to make him daily tea – but she could drop by whenever and see anyone she wanted during her free time. They were still her family. However, she couldn't help but feel left out and left behind when they would leave for new cases while she attended lectures. That part of reality still hadn't sunk in.

On her last day as an official SPR member, they threw her a small farewell party to which even Madoka and Yasuhara attended. It lasted late into the night which resulted in an agonized Naru and a messy office Mai gleefully knew she wouldn't have to clean up. The evening ended up with everyone falling asleep on the couches and floors. When Mai awoke in the middle of the night to use the restroom, she saw the light of Naru's office glowing along the edge of the door. Without knocking, Mai opened the door and peered inside to find Naru reading through files at his desk.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" She whispered, taking a step into the office. Naru didn't seem the slighted bit surprised by her visit and simply stated that he wasn't tired and preferred catching up on work instead. Mai smiled then, saddened by the fact that such interactions like these would become rare. The thought tugged at her heart.

"Well, I didn't get to tell you this during the party. But thank you for everything. It's meant so much to me. I'll never forget my time here."

Mai didn't expect her ex-boss to respond with more than a polite nod. However, she was proven wrong when she'd least expected it. Naru stood without another word and walked around the desk that had been putting distance between them. Standing right in front of her, Naru placed a warm had upon her shoulder and looked into her eyes with the slightest look of care. "I'm thankful of your help thus far. Be careful on your own." His monotone words bore just the slightest edge of true concern. "You can call me if you need anything." He added on after a moment.

Mai remained speechless and only gazed back into his dark eyes, searching for anything definitive. Unfortunately, Naru cut the moment short and returned to his seat without another word. Just when she thought she'd fully processed what had happened, Naru gave her one of his genuine, rare smiles. It took her breath away.

Then, at that moment, Mai felt a strong urge to act one last time as his employee. She made him a cup of hot, green tea and left with a final goodbye. Stuck onto the teacup was the number of her new cell with the words, "_In case _you_ need me_."

The nerves she had grown.

That had all been four months ago. Despite her courageous act, she had not heard from Naru once.

Being too lazy to get up, Mai pushed her small table against the wall and set up her futon. She knew she wasn't eating enough, but her lack of sleep was keeping her from regular daily activities. Those dreams she'd been having lately...they weren't allowing her to get any rest. It'd been nearly two weeks and they were just as vivid as ever, if not more intense.

To put plainly, Mai had become afraid of falling asleep. And the side effects were definitely showing. It was strange, she had to admit. She'd never had such dreams unless there was a case to dream about. Mai yawned as she laid down, her arms landing above her head in a long stretch. With her head tilted back, Mai caught sight of the calender hanging on the wall. She noticed that the red circle indicated that it'd been three weeks since she'd visited the SPR office. As she closed her eyes, she decided that she was in need of some experts.

And with that, Mai decided a visit to the SPR was long overdue. She briefly fell asleep with the familiar faces of her companions floating in her mind.

Then the door and faceless girl appeared.

**Next Day**

Umbrella in hand, Mai stepped outside into the cool air. It was a refreshing feeling; she found it to be quite a nice change from the usual humidity from the past few days. After locking her door, she walked passed two other doors and down the stairs to the ground floor. Rain clouds were already forming overhead. Mai opened her umbrella just as a light drizzle began to fall. But before she could reach the sidewalk -

"Mai-chan!"

Mai started and turned around with a smile. "Good morning Asou-kun."

"Just Akira!" He reminded her as he ran down to meet her. The young man was only dressed in his sweat pants and T-shirt. No shoes. He began hopping from one foot to the other in an unsuccessful attempt to keep them dry. Mai offered her umbrella and smiled. "Akira-kun." She compromised.

He beamed at her. "Are you skipping class today?"

"I'm on my way." She lied without missing a beat.

"If you waited a minute for me to get dressed we could head out together?"

Mai pretended to consider the idea. "Well I'm kind of in a hurry so..." without giving him a chance to say otherwise, she escaped laughing. "See you later!"

"It's a promise!" He shot back.

Asou Akira's room was right next to hers, and attended Suzuki Academy with her. Akira clung onto her in a way that hinted his attraction towards her that was more than friendly intent. However, Mai liked to pretend otherwise. Her thoughts were on Naru too often anyway. It was just nice to have a friend who lived so close to her, someone she could talk to and live her life at college with.

Mai quickened her pace along the water slick sidewalk. She felt pumped and more energetic than she'd been since the start of her nightmares. Her sleeping patterns had gone a bit haywire if not completely disappeared – the dark rings under her eyes were proof.

Her gaze rose upwards so that her umbrella was tilted and raindrops were dotting her face. Today was the 13th, a Friday. Hopefully the other members of the SPR would be gathered at the office. Replacing the cover over her head, Mai's pace quickened and she began humming a slow tune. Within ten minutes, a familiar building standing at the intersection came into view.

The dark SPR letters seemed to welcome her back. It delighted her to see Takigawa, Ayako, and John's cars parked next to Lin's van. With a smile to mask her tiredness, she walked it.

-Insert opening song-  
Chapter 1: Encounters

Even before Mai reached the CEO door, she could hear loud voices from within the office. She leaned in to listen, not wanting to barge into the middle of a new case proposal. Someone was saying loudly:

_"But she was hinting at the fact that her brother was acting suspicious."_

_ "You know Ayako, you're being too narrow minded again."_

_ "I think he's right Matsuzaki-san."_

_ "Oh ganging up on me are you?"_

Mai shook her head with a smile and took her ear from the door. As she raised a curled fist, Mai couldn't help but wonder why she felt so nervous.

_Knock Knock Knock_

A hard voice replied. _"Who is it?"_

Mai's hesitated at hearing Naru's voice. Everyone had fallen silent, as to not embarrass themselves. Grinning, Mai opened the door with a wide sweep and struck a pose. "Morning everyone!"

"Mai!"

The call of her name was immediate and endearing. The young woman smiled and couldn't help but let out a laugh. Takigawa stood from his seat and put both hands on his hips. "We were about to file a missing report on you! How long has it been? 6 weeks?"

"Three." John corrected with a polite grin. His blond hair seemed shorter than Mai remembered.

Ayako had already given her a bear hug and with almost a motherly gaze asked, "How have you been? You look exhausted."

"I'm great," she said. Mai lowered her eyes before adding, "But I didn't come today just to visit."

Had her voice sounded too serious? Everyone's expressions dropped the slightest bit, wondering if it were bad news that she was about to share. Her demeanor hinted towards it, she was sure. Naru had been completely silent since her entrance, as though she weren't really there. But after a moment, he asked:

"What is it?" He was still looking down at his files. Mai pouted, then asked. "Where's Masako?" She could see that Naru was annoyed at being outright ignored. Well, served him right for not welcoming her back.

"You didn't see her leave? She walked out a few minutes ago, talking about some television thing she had to go to." Ayako answered.

Mai shrugged with a silly laugh. "She must have sensed me coming here and left!"

"Hara-san can only sense spirits." Naru said a matter-of-factly.

"And you can't take a joke."

Taking a seat next to Ayako, Mai grabbed a cookie from a bin centered on the coffee table. Well that was new. She couldn't remember Naru or Lin ever keeping sweets in the office. She assumed it must have been a present from Masako or Madako. She nibbled at the corner of the chocolate pastry without much appetite. Instead of bringing up her own issues, Mai decided to put it aside and as a diversion, asked:

"So what were you guys so hotly discussing before?"

"Oh just the new case." Takigawa answered with a low sigh as if he were remembering something that he'd rather not. "We haven't even visited the house yet and it's already proving to be a toughie."

At his words, Mai became tempted to offer her help. She was so close to asking if she could see the files that she contemplated skipping a few days of classes. But instead of speaking up she listened and licked a corner of her treat clean.

"But Taniyama-san, didn't you say that you came in for a specific reason today?" John asked.

Being reminded of her true motive, Mai suddenly realized that she didn't want to share her nightmares with everyone and bring down the mood. They already seemed so busy that she didn't want to cloud their minds. At least for some more than others, her issue would receive too much attention, perhaps to the point of distraction during their case. Mai silently tapped the toe of her shoe on the carpet that soon became the only sound in the office.

"Mai?"

"I...was just wondering if you guys were free tomorrow for dinner. But I guess the timing won't work out since you'll have to set the base and meet the clients..." Mai trailed off with a weak laugh. She couldn't make eye contact with anyone because she was afraid that they would be able to see through her lie. She could feel their eyes on her, suspicious if not concerned. Takigawa seemed to miss the somber mood however, and groaned with regret.

"Sorry Mai. You know I'd much rather hang out with you than go exorcise another old house."

"You're welcome to leave the case if you would rather waste your time 'hanging'." Naru's voice held no sympathy.

"No, it's fine." Mai stood up to make leave. Everyone shifted at her sudden movement.

"Are you leaving already?" Ayako asked.

"Yep! I have a lecture soon. Believe or not, I'm actually paying attention to my studies now." She laughed. "I should head out in case I'm late. And..." Mai motioned with a finger at the papers littering the office. "I seemed to have barged in when you guys were working."

Through her frozen smile, Mai temporarily forgot to stop holding her breath. No one seemed happy that their reunion had lasted so short. But they smiled and nodded, deciding to let their old partner leave with happy smiles. Takigawa was still frowning as he walked her to the door; he'd been the most upset when the girl had mentioned that she was going to quit. With short waves, Mai left the room. Almost immediately the office fell dead silent. It seemed almost empty without Mai's voice, despite there being four other people.

After leaving the building and putting some good distance between them, Mai remembered that she had to breathe to keep her body going. She felt a tightness in her chest, ready to snap if she stopped walking. With people that were like family, she didn't know why her visit had felt so awkward. To make things worse, Naru had behaved as distant as he'd been the first time they'd met – cold and like a stranger who couldn't care less. After all they'd been through, Naru had moved on from her so easily.

That fact itself made her feel the loneliest she'd felt in years.

When Mai reached for her umbrella, she noticed the treat she was still holding onto. It had formed slight cracks from her grip. Mai observed the pastry in her hand and saw that it was in the shape of a house. With its chocolate icing, tilted tiles and detailed windows, Mai suspected with a frown that it was supposed to resemble a haunted house. Even if Japan didn't technically celebrate Halloween, she suspected that the design was for that day. The house suddenly triggered the image of the door from her dreams and a headache began to pound in the back of her head.

She started to feel nauseous as it began to rain. Tossing the pastry into a nearby trashcan, Mai brushed her hands against her jeans to rid of the sweet smell. She walked in the direction of her apartment, convincing herself the whole way that on a day like this one, students should be allowed to skip class without consequences.

**Three Days Later, October 16th **

The small park was encircled by several white, leaf-covered benches. Mai was the only other person sitting at one, sipping on her hot chocolate while everyone else preferred to walk off the chill from the cold afternoon. She looked up into the bright sky but the bare branches that overreached blurred her focus. Mai wondered what to do with the rest of her free day. She'd thought about visiting SPR, but was still irritated at Naru and didn't want to deal with him, even if that meant avoiding the whole group. They'd only finished their most recent case after all and needed to rest up. Giving up on that option, she began listing a string of chores in her mind. _Essay prompt...dinner...milk for the stray cat...mother's grave..._

Focusing on her own thoughts let the outside noise melt away. When she opened her eyes again, everything was crisp and bright. She smiled at the peaceful sight. The list gave Mai renewed energy and she got up to her feet and punched the air. "All right!"

But in the process of standing up, she was hit by an unknown object and turned too sharply to avoid it. There was a loud _thunk_, her voice got caught in her throat in mid-cry. Her hot chocolate lurched violently in its container before spilling out and making contact with the chest of the person behind her. Mai turned and stared in horror as the brown stain spread. Another _thunk _and a red rubber ball rolled away from the crime scene it'd created.

"I'm sorry!" A little girl cried.

Mai had grabbed her handkerchief and was dabbing at the stain with haste. "Did that burn you? I'm so sorry -"

"It's fine."

The man's voice made Mai's eyes widen with such speed that her vision blurred. But she didn't need to see his face to match the voice. He looked at her after taking off his dripping scarf.

"Naru...?"

"That was quite a delayed reaction."

Mai turned red.

...

"You didn't have to accompany me."

"It was my fault. I couldn't just leave you without doing anything." Even still, Mai watched as her ex-boss picked out a new shirt. His jacket had taken most of the damage, but had soaked through to dampen his shirt as well. Mai sighed. This was kind of a like a date, if you looked at it sideways and squinted. They never would have ended up together alone at a department store if she'd asked him months ago, let alone begged. Only when she wanted to avoid him could the universe mess with her like this. Mai almost laughed at the irony; along with the fact that Naru had been looking around for a good 15 minutes already. None of the clothes seemed to suit his taste. Finally after another several minutes she muttered to herself: "You're sure taking your time."

The words didn't escape Naru's attention and he gave her a quick glance. "I'm not going to waste my money on a cheap brand." He explained.

"So you buy clothes by brand?" She observed, though such a statement could have been a playful tease to anyone else. She smiled and patted her purse. "Don't worry, I was planning on getting it –"

"It's fine. You don't need to do that." Naru finally picked a black button down shirt and made his way to the register. Mai remained behind, standing among the array of mens shirts and pants, looking as out of place as she felt. Where had things gone wrong for them? Even small talk was painful; more so than ever. She sighed and called out to him.

"I'll wait outside okay?"

He didn't reply, leaving it for her to decide.

...

Naru's fingers hesitated before hooking the last button on his new shirt. The sleeves were a tad too long and it sagged a bit around the shoulders. He sighed. He could have gone home for another sweater instead of wasting money in a store he'd never been in. Everything shouldn't have been a big deal, but for some reason it was irritating him to the core. He suspected it was because his schedule had now been pushed back a good 40 minutes. That didn't mean he had to let it out on Mai, but he couldn't seem to help it. As he stepped out of the dressing room and towards the front doors, Naru saw Mai's patiently waiting form. She was raising herself to her toes and rocking back to her heels in repetitive, slow motions. The sight momentarily stopped him, and his frustration all but disappeared. There was a nostalgic pang that reminded him of tea and warmth. It hit him with an eye-widening force when he realized why: Mai had used to do it all the time in his office.

…

Mai covered the bare skin around her neck just as a strong breeze passed by. She frowned as she watched a flock of birds fly from one end of the sky to the other. She wondered if she should leave, disappear before Naru returned. She figured that would make him happiest. Just then the doors swung open, sending the door bells to jingle loudly. Mai saw the young man walk out with his new shirt on, his damp clothes now in a bag. He looked a bit chilled.

"Well, you took long enough." Mai gave him a quick up-down inspection and nodded in approval. She reached for the bag in his hand. "Here, let me at least wash those for you."

"They need to be dry-cleaned. I'll send them out during lunch." He pulled away before her fingers could snatch them away. "I need to get to the office now."

Mai swallowed hard at his abruptness. She hesitated before offering a smile. "Well I'm pretty busy too, with school and all. It was good seeing you."

Without a reply, Naru turned around and left.

...

"I always liked this time of year the best." Takigawa said, taking a sip from the glass of homemade lemonade. He raised the cup, as if performing a toast to the warm afternoon sun. "No extremities in weather, no mosquitoes, so sweating, no snow, beautiful scenery..."

Ayako urged herself not to roll her eyes. "Why are you here? I'm sure you can enjoy the scenery at your own place."

Takigawa took a another short sip and smiled widely. "What, I can't visit for now reason but to say hi?"

"Not if you're going to drink all of my lemonade while you're doing it no."

"You're no fun."

Ayako crossed her legs as she watched him. Her fingers drummed against her own drink as she tilted her head to one side. "Well? Is it Naru and SPR related?"

Takigawa shook his head and leaned forward, both elbows on his knees. The monk's face suddenly turned serious. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about a possible side case: the allegedly haunted house on the outskirts of town. The one with all the deaths over the past 15 years."

Ayako's face turned dark. "I've read about some of those deaths in the papers. I heard that they never found a killer to close the cases."

Takigawa motioned excitedly with his free hand. "I did some more research, and it definitely sounds like something in our field."

Ayako crossed her arms in a way that he knew was final. "I do _not_ want another 'Suzuki Academy' like experience. Are you going to take responsibility if one of us die?" She demanded.

There was a pause, and then: "Would you reconsider if I said yes?"

"No, forget it." The woman raised a brow, her lips in a pout. She could see him slouch with disappointment. After a moment she couldn't help but ask. "Why are you _that_ interested?"

"Something about the place draws me in – which doesn't happen often. I don't know, it's the mystery of it all I think."

"With what happened a few months ago and there being so many deaths, I doubt Naru will take it." Ayako mentioned. She knew how shocking the whole case had been, how risky. Yet here the monk was, suggesting a new case like it was a simple job for babysitting.

In the midst of a sip, Takigawa remembered something and quickly drew the cup away from his lips. "And the thing is, a family is living there at the moment."

Ayako was surprised and she didn't try to hide it. "But I thought the place had been abandoned years ago. You think they don't know about its history? Is that even possible?"

"Apparently they're supernatural junkies. But the mother contacted me and wants me to check things out. She's been feeling uneasy from the rumors and stuff lately."

Ayako was thinking, her long fingers curled under her chin. She met eyes with the monk and asked, "What's the family's name?"

Takigawa stared at her and said it slowly, as if it were something not to forget.

"Asou."

* * *

To be continued in **Chapter 2: Two Surnames Found**


	3. Chapter 2 Two Surnames Found

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt

_When you once believed something that now strikes you as absurd, even unhinged, it can be almost impossible to summon that feeling of credulity again. Maybe that is why it is easier for most of us to forget, rather than to try and explain._

ტThe Autumn Roomტ 

October 18th

A knock came with three sharp taps at his door.

Naru looked up, quite annoyed as well as curious. There was no one he was expecting, nor was his office usually bothered during lunch hours. So when the knocking resumed, he answered with slight wonder and irritation.

"Come in." He called out, assuming it was Lin.

But the door opened a couple of feet before a woman's figure showed itself, short and motherly. The woman bowed but looked around as if making sure she'd found the right place. Her eyes fell upon Naru, and he could see her eyelids go up with slight surprise.

"Shibuya Kazuya…san?"

"Yes, I am." He rested his hands on top of his desk and gave her his full glance."Do you need assistance?"

Relief washed over the woman's tired face. She brushed back a short lock of brown hair and walked in without another word. Her posture was straight, her steps quick and short. She walked until she was directly in front of his desk. Naru's face hardened and he looked up at her, expecting explanations.

"How can I -"

"I came here because I have heard that you are Takigawa Houshou's boss."

Naru absorbed the information and properly processed it. "Only on certain cases does he work for me." The young man began to wonder why it would matter. Perhaps it was a new case that she wanted to address specifically with him. Then he could safely assume that she'd already spoken with the monk.

The woman looked around the desk for a spare chair, but it being his office, there were none. The inspection desk was in another room. He gestured towards the couches instead and stood with his notebook in hand. It wouldn't hurt listening.

When the two were settled down, Naru realized that he should probably offer the woman some tea, but didn't have a chance to ask as she began to speak.

"My name is Shige." She was calm and spoke slowly, her voice child-like but with a charming roughness. "My family moved into a new home three months ago - the one that is supposedly haunted."

No last name came, and Naru didn't bother prying. It was the client's choice to keep information private - however it kept him suspicious. _The haunted one_..." Do you mean the house that had been unoccupied for 5 years?"

"At the outskirts of the town…" As if realizing something, Shige's eyes widened a bit. "So it really is that well-known?"

The answer to her question was evident.

"If I may ask Shige-san, what influenced you and your family to move into a used home? Surely there are newer, more modern homes within the city."

Slightly embarrassed, the woman gave a light smile as she bunched her fists together on top of her knees. "It has always been because of my husband and son's interest of the abnormal."

Naru raised an eyebrow. When she looked up again, he nodded to have her continue and be more specific. Shige blinked once and shrugged lightly. "They love ghost stories and such - and for them, hearing of a haunted dwelling is their dream home. Though I'm not too fond of it…"

It seemed to Naru that she didn't mind as much as she was hinting it. However, Shige's countenance became clouded with worry, and undeniable fear.

"I trust that you'll believe me when I say this. My family has experienced a fair number of paranormal events over the years. Somehow we've gone through them all without injuries or casualties. The incidents excited my husband very much. However, this time I would like something like that to be stopped before it can...occur."

Naru shook his head and lowered the pad so that it was lying across his lap. The young man wasn't an investigator or detective. His specialty was in Ghost Hunting - and that was what he was going to stick to doing. So to make himself clear, Naru sat back and said a clarifying statement, posed as a polite question. "So nothing of the paranormal has yet occurred at your home?"

"Ah -" Shige's voice got caught in her throat. Perhaps it was because she understood his motives. She answered back quickly. "Well, nothing yet. But I am uncomfortable enough to be living in a home where several deaths of previous families had occurred. All of the children who'd been killed were around my son's age." There was a hint of urgency in her soft voice.

"And they had all been female." Naru reassured. Even without having to look up the information, it had struck him odd when he had stumbled over old newspaper clippings at the library.

"But it had only been five deaths, you can't be for certain!"

Naru looked at her grimly. "Trust me," he said. "That's more than enough."

…

Shige sat with her hands still tight around one another. She was in deep thought - her eyes were on the black notebook on the young man's lap, wondering if anything had been written on it throughout their conversation. She doubted it - despite Shibuya's smart looks, he looked like he harbored one large ego and if something wasn't important to him, it wouldn't matter.

She spoke. "Couldn't you simply give the house a look over for spirits and then exorcise them?"

Naru fought the impatience that was welling up inside him. "Shige-san if it were as 'simple' as that, anyone would be able to do the job." However, Hara Masako's face floated into his mind. Naru saw the lines above her eyebrows deepen and her half-lidded eyes opened slightly wider.

"Are you saying that you'll take my case or not?"

He truthfully didn't know. Speaking this much about it had without a doubt captured his interest, however…He decided to prolong his decision.

"If you could leave your number and address, I will contact you by the end of this week. Would that be alright?"

The woman understood she didn't have a choice, really. With a short sigh, Shige nodded. It would have to do for now. She wrote down her personal information, and added her cell phone number just in case. She paused politely before leaving the young man and nodded.

"Thank you for your time."

-Insert opening song-

Chapter 2: Two Surnames Found

At the sharp turn of the doorknob, Mai heard the noise of a loud crash behind her. She spun around with the heavy box in her arms threatening to slip from her grip. Not again. It was either that the floor was out to get her, or that she was one terrible box-carrier.

"Michiru?"

Mai heard a cough and then sighs, telling her that her friend was alright. Placing her own box down on the ground the girl ran through the door into the backroom. Mai giggled at Michiru's silly pose.

"You're suck a klutz."

"Goodness, is that all you can offer to your hurt friend?"

Mai raised an eyebrow and looked Michiru up and down. "Oh you're fine." She offered her a hand and eyed the contents of the container beside them. "You're lucky that didn't contain anything breakable."

"Beep beep beep." The shadow of another large cardboard box was hovering above Michiru's head, causing her to hit it as she tried to get up.

"Ow - Asou-kun!"

Having not heard the young man's footsteps, both the girls started with surprise. His laughter reached the two of them with a comforting resonance. "No time to take breaks."

Michiru reached behind her and gave him a hard shove. He let out a loud sound of surprise and, pretending to trip, tipped over from one side to another, balancing the box in his arms.

"Oh stop it."

Mai laughed along, but was quickly silenced when her eyes fell upon the towering boxes of equipment that had to be finished being moved to the science room by noon. Two more hours.

"We are not going to be able to finish that."

Looking back at what Mai was referring to, Akira started walking forward and past her. "Well, we better hustle then." After a couple more steps, he glanced back and decided to tease the fallen girl some more. "Make sure the klutz doesn't carry anything heavy."

"Don't call me that!"

Mai followed Akira's lead and began a light jog until she'd caught up with him. There was a moment of silence which the boy spent sending glances at Mai. The notion was irritating to the point where she could no longer ignore him. Mai sighed and with an upturned mouth asked, "What?" in an irritated tone.

Akira smiled and looked away, his mission of getting her attention complete.

"Nothing."

Mai wasn't about to encourage him. After all, he was probably just trying to annoy her - she wasn't expecting anything less. But then again, she knew him well enough to know that he would bring something up sooner or later. They reached the lab room within a couple of minutes and they appropriately set down the boxes against one wall or the other according to their labels. Akira nodded, making sure their work was neat and carefully done.

"You like ghost stories don't you?"

Mai raised an eyebrow at the sudden question. She had her back turned towards him and was half bent-over, organizing several equipment. When she looked behind, at him, Akira was smiling despite himself. How in the world had he found out? Mai tilted her head to one side and asked with a sort of laugh, "How did you know that?"

"Well I was confirming it just now." The young man was nodding his head pretending to be seriously thinking. He was never usually this goofy around other people. "I see, I see. Hmm."

"What is it?" Mai couldn't help but become curious. It had to do with her after all.

Akira was becoming exited. "Well you see, I'm living in the haunted home of the town at the moment. Since you liked stuff like that, I was wondering if you'd like to come check it out sometime - my house that is."

Ignoring his proposal for the moment, Mai put a hand to her hip with utter confusion. "Seriously, who have you been -"

There was a sound at the door as Michiru walked in, carrying a box the size of a shoe-case. Mai attacked her friend immediately.

"It was you wasn't it?"

"Eh?"

Akira gave a low laugh. "Yeah it was."

"What? What did I do?"

Entirely ignoring her cries, he gave Mai a shrug and nod, a reminder for her to think about his invitation. It was a moment later when she realized that he was talking to her again.

" - father is someone who can be considered an expert, though he can't exorcise them. He's more of the facts and data type..."

She felt exited - an old thrill that Mai welcomed back. She knew that it was because a part of her wanted to be involved with another ghost hunting case. He claimed that it was haunted, but the chances of that were most likely low, and besides it sounded like fun.

Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad to check it out.

…

It was still too early for her escort to be waiting in front of her door.

Masako stuck out her head, uncomfortably pulling down the long blue blouse. She casually walked down the back stairs instead of taking the elevator down. Upon arriving at the lobby, the medium could see the face of the sleepy-eyed old man gazing calmly around. With right timing she was able to sneak by and, with a smile on her face from success, got into a waiting car parked outside.

"So you finally got your license?" Masako asked with her usual demeanor. But inside, she was grinning widely.

John Brown tilted his head, both hands tightly on the steering wheel. "I'm glad you could make it Hara-san." With genuinely curious eyes John stated, "To think that you'd have nothing planned for tonight."

Sigh. "Just drive."

The engine started, and they were off.

"So where are we going?"

John, with both hands still gripping the steering wheel, gave her a quick side glance. "A small café not far from here. It will take about an hour for us to talk about the information, so we can have something to eat as well."

The medium sighed. "I suppose so."

"I'm sorry," John said, "I didn't know Takigawa-san would make me come out to tell you.''

Masako, slightly surprised by his apology, took her gaze from the passing by scenes and looked towards the priest. "Ah, no. I don't mind at all."

A comfortable silence fell upon them and soon it was all that passed between them throughout the car ride. Masako lost her sense of direction and time as they drove down the streets. Looking out and upward from the window beside her, she allowed a small smile to herself.

"You can relax your grip John-san."

"Ah, right."

…

There was some silence before the voice spoke.

"_Bou-san -"_

"Mai! Ahhh." Takigawa gushed over his phone, wiping a hand on his pants. The bowl filled with mashed potato whirled around upon the counter. "It's unusual for you to call me."

He heard her laughter. _"Well, it's because I wanted to ask for a favor."_

"Mm what is it?" He asked curiously. Takigawa checked the chicken in the oven and nodded with satisfaction. There was a short pause on the other line before Mai said something again.

"_I was wondering if you could give me a drive to a friend's house the day after tomorrow. I'm sorry I'm asking so suddenly."_

"Ah it's fine jou-chan." Takigawa smiled into the phone, wondering if she could tell he really didn't mind. "I have nothing going on that day anyway."

"_Really? That's great."_

"So I'll just pick you up from…"

"_From work." _She finished for him. _"2 o'clock at the front okay?"_

Takigawa nodded and cleared his throat. "Okay then. See you."

"_Thanks. Bye bye."_

The monk hung up the phone, and placed it down. After a second thought, he dialed Ayako's cell number and pressed it between his shoulder and ear.

_Why the hell do I know it out of the top of my head? _He wondered with sudden realization. _I don't call her that much _-

As the line began ringing, he resumed his cooking.

…

"You did _what_?"

Irritation in the miko's voice was inevitable. She was literally shouting in her special whiny way of hers, making the monk lean away from the table. Perhaps making dinner for the two of them hadn't been enough to soften the blow. Takigawa was half-tempted to take out the bottle of champagne now.

"Well, I already asked John to explain everything to Masako. So now it's just you that needs convincing."

Ayako sighed and poked at her chicken with a loosely held fork - her mouth pouting. "No wonder you suddenly asked me over for dinner. You are such a guy with motives."

Disappointed? Not the way he was suspecting.

"That doesn't sound like a compliment." Takigawa was wiping his face with a napkin and replaced it on his lap. The efforts he was making was definitely getting the miko to reconsider his pleas on taking the case, though she still wasn't fully won over. He grinned lightly and tried another tactic with caution. "We're ol' partners after all, and -"

"Don't even go there."

He sighed. Man, she could see right through him. The monk let his head fall back, his neck resting against the top of the chair and his long hair hanging down. "So it's no good?"

She didn't answer and ate some peas. More than anything, Ayako was being stubborn. She had been turning his offers down, but if she'd really wanted him to stop asking, she would have made it very clear a long time ago - so he kept trying.

"Why didn't you call John and Masako over tonight so that we could talk together, the four of us?" She asked suddenly.

Takigawa remained unmoving, his head still hanging back. Why hadn't he? Perhaps he wanted to convince the miko before they all met up together. So instead he came up with an excuse.

"I wouldn't have been able to handle all the cooking. I'm just an average guy you know."

She let out a soft 'hmph', not buying it. She ate some more in silence. Then: "What is it with guys? Why do you all have to take idiotic chances and then regret it when it's too late?"

Takigawa frowned with annoyance, knowing where the conversation was going. He pointed a finger at her and used a tone of warning, though mixed with humor. "Hey, no you don't. Whatever happened to, 'Live life to the fullest?'"

"And then suffer unnecessary consequences? I'd rather wait it out until paranormal incidents started occurring than us - you - being the ones to trigger it. 'Patience is a virtue.'" She shot back.

Takigawa sat up again, his fist pounding onto the table. "Patience is a waste of time."

Ayako huffed. Stubborn, stupid, stubborn -

"Besides, I'd personally appreciate it if you joined the group."

Ayako suddenly sensed that he was more serious, speaking with more of a sincere tone.

When he saw her suspicious eyes, Takigawa raised both hands in defense.

"Well, with the ritual I saw you act out the last time, I was really impressed. I know you'll probably won't be able to do something like that during this case, but having a reliable extra hand never hurt." His eyes met hers.

Ayako averted her gaze sensing an awkward vibe surrounding them. He's just trying to convince me, the way he's using such talk. But then again…

She smiled, pretending to be content. When she didn't answer, Takigawa started eating his dinner with a slight air of exasperation.

Ayako became slightly irritated by the look he was making when she realized it was her fault. Her inner wall crumbled.

"All right.…I guess…I'll trust you on this one." She sighed loudly, showing defeat. "I guess I'll join. But any signs of danger and I'm out."

Suddenly the monk grinned, pulling out the champagne before she could change her mind, causing the miko to laugh despite herself. He knew she would have said yes.

She knew she was being crazy, but Ayako decided to let it slip for now.

"This is really delicious." She said.

Takigawa smiled, and poured.

The bastard.

…

Mai hummed a tuneless song with meaningless words as she calmly sauntered down the sidewalk. The sky was a deep orange hue mixed with alterations of red and white. The young girl had her face to the sky with wide, thoughtful eyes watching the still clouds. There was the delicious fresh air with the promise of rain. Her black dress tickled her legs as a breeze passed by.

"Autumn is such a pretty time of year." She said to herself.

But then another thought came to mind that almost ruined the peaceful atmosphere: Had it been alright for her to accept Akira's invitation? It had been months since her departure from SPR, and she had been itching for a chance to take on a case, to see Naru in her dreams again, to have a family. She'd been studying hard without doing much for herself, so why not allow this as a reward to herself? That had made up her mind. She wanted to meet Akira's father as well to see how much he really knew in comparison to her old boss.

Mai looked down and forward, pinning her eyes on the black gate was she was nearing. It creaked lightly as if welcoming her back. Pushing them slightly, they reacted to her touch and opened widely. Sunset was approaching and Mai guessed she only had close to an hour before it would grow dark. Her visit would have to be short.

The girl stopped in front of her mother's grave and felt a peaceful presence surround her. She smiled and spoke.

"Hi mom."

…

Mai checked that alter was properly set and clapped her hands in a respectful prayer one last time before rising from her knees.

The few rays of the day's last sunlight seeped through the surrounding trees. They danced off the polished stones that bore the words, Here lies -

Mai looked away. She smiled, didn't know why, and shook her head. It was her mother today, and her father in only a short month. She had to keep living happily for them. The light was fading. It was time to go home.

But then she heard a voice.

"Nee-san."

Mai raised her head, her eyes opening wider. She glanced left and right but saw no one, just the complete silence of a graveyard setting. She felt the presence of no one. Just as Mai was about to dismiss the sound as her imagination, the voice called out to her again, this time much more distinct.

"Nee-san."

Without the sound of footprints or rustling of leaves, there was suddenly a dark shadow to her right. Mai wasn't hearing things. There standing a few meters away was a young girl.

Mai sighed and licked her lips. The young girl had clean, long straight brown hair and was wearing a simple summer dress - a bit to thin of an attire to be wearing in fall. Concerned, Mai stepped forward, the action causing the girl to step back. She stopped and raised both hands.

"Hey are you alright? Where are your parents?"

The girl blinked.

"Where yours?"

Mai let out a 'huh' sound with surprise. Not at the question, but from hearing the girl's broken grammar.

"They - they're the ones I'm visiting." Mai offered a smile. "Are you here alone too? Come here, I'll walk you home -"

"Can't."

Mai cocked her head. It was odd. The girl spoke in an emotionless, dull way.

"You can't leave? With me? Who are you here with?" She stopped when she realized she was bombarding the girl with questions. Instead, Mai started over with another simple one. "What's your name?"

"Kawazoe…Kana."

A response. Okay.

"Kana-chan, who are you here with?"

"No one. Alone for long time."

Mai frowned. Her voice was difficult to hear, as light and soft as the wind. She stepped forward again, only to have the girl step away. Another approach would lead the girl into the woods behind. What was she so afraid of?

_Alone for long time…_

She couldn't have been abandoned right?

"Kana-chan, I'll take you home."

Now Kana's face showed something similar to the signs of fear. The girl shook her head.

"No. Can't leave there. I am not allowed to do this."

There? Mai was utterly confused, it was like she was talking to a three year old. But there was no way she could leave the girl alone and just go home. But before she could ask another question, the girl spoke.

"Mai, meaning of leaving."

"The meaning of leaving?" Mai sucked in a breath. "Wait, how did you know my name?"

"I hear."

The girl smiled. The sun disappeared, darkness spread over, and the shadows swallowed everything.

…

Mai was wondering why in the world she had agreed to help clean out the classroom. She'd never met the other teacher before and she didn't seem like the talkative type. As Mai moved along, she noticed that this was an odd classroom. There was a wide closet at the back. It's two doors opened out like a cupboard.

She was observing it. Nothing was in there, no supplies. Odd.

Then suddenly she was shoved in. Mai didn't have time to react, she could only let out a strangled choke. "What -"

The doors closed behind her. There was the sickening sound of a lock being turned. It was a joke right? Suddenly she forgot the woman's name. She couldn't call her to stop the joking around.

"We need to be cleaning, remember?"

There was no reply. Mai tried to look through the cracks of the doors, but the lights of the classroom turned off and she was plunged into the darkness. Mai wasn't claustrophobic, but…

"Please, this isn't funny!" Mai banged her fists against the doors. The whole closet seemed to shake with her applied force. She didn't like this at all. An overwhelming feeling of fear washed over her, and suddenly she was breathing heavily. One short breath after another. She continued to hid her fists against the wood. Wait, wood?

She was confused, scared, desperate to get out. Then Mai heard footsteps right outside the closet. They were pacing back and forth in front of her.

"Let me out!"

Just slow pacing could be heard as if the person was waiting for something. No reply.

"LET ME OUT!"

Let me out, let me out, let me out, LET ME -

Mai's eyes snapped open in mid-scream.

The dream had been vivid…too vivid.

For the rest of the night she lay breathing heavily upon the floor, begging for relief. Her eyes eventually closed.

Then the door and young girl appeared.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Chapter 3: Humble Abode

It looked as if she'd said the magic words. John grinned and became exited. "Then will you come with me to see it? I was planning to go over today, but if you can come too it would be a great help."

How could she say no to that shining face of his?

"That's a good idea." Masako replied without much enthusiasm. It wouldn't hurt, and it would allow her to take another few days off. She took up the papers and began to read.

AN: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! They simply made me happy and motivated - and I just decided to update sooner. Well...you know the drill -nudge nudge, wink wink-


	4. Chapter 3 Humble Abode

ტThe Autumn Roomტ

**October 20th Saturday**

This was it. Now or never.

_Well_…

Mai shook her head, pleading her mind to _stop __talking_.

So with one reassuring breath to herself, Mai gripped the door handle and barged into the room.

"Wrong door Taniyama-san."

"Eh…"

Mai saw the slight smile on the man's face and she grinned back, giggling at her silly mistake with embarrassment.

"Lin-san, long time no see. Ah! I'm sorry to just…"

His eyes softened, but his kind expression disappeared. "I thought I'd never see your face here again." Lin returned to his typing, but was open to conversation. Mai noticed drastic improvement with his talking skills. She nodded and fingered her school bag.

"I've been busy at the Academy and stuff…"

Which was partially true. She saw the man nod. Mai realized that he was thinking the same thing she was: There was no way she could have ever mixed up his door with Naru's. There was a shiny, gold sign that said CEO for crying out loud. That was how occupied in thought she had been.

"Well…"

"Naru will be leaving for his lunch break soon - to the library."

Mai nodded in appreciation and offered a smile of thanks. "Bye, Lin-san. I'll come back again sometime."

She saw him slightly turn around. "Take care Taniyama-san."

-Insert opening song-  
Chapter 3: Humble Abode

Upon entering the office, Lin decided to feign ignorance.

Eyeing the cup of tea on his boss's desk, in that particular spot, he casually asked. "Was Taniyama-san here by any chance?"

"Yes." Naru replied stoically.

The man knew he would get nothing else out of him. So instead, Lin decided to get to work. Since Naru had accepted the case, some background research would be needed to be done.

"What is the name of the client for the case?"

"The woman whom I interviewed was Shige-san. She didn't give a family name, but we can easily look it up - the house she, her husband, and son moved into is the deserted one on the outskirts of town."

Lin nodded in understanding. "I'll get to it right away." He hesitated a moment. "However, why was the home never taken down? It had been abandoned for years after all…"

"Apparently the towns people wanted to preserve it as a 'haunted house'. An icon of a sort."

With another short nod the Chinese man took the manila files off of Naru's desk and made his way to his own office. Just as he had reached the door, Naru spoke one last statement.

"We'll be going for a visit later today without equipment. Shige-san said that she wanted us to see what her husband had already prepared."

He sounded irritated. Of course whatever the man had set up, it wouldn't compare to the equipment and experience Naru had.

"I understand." Lin closed the door behind him.

...

Mai stepped out of the lecture hall, and made her way towards one of the benches near the edge of the campus. The books in her arms fell beside her as heavily as she sat down.

_'I __have __already __accepted __another __case. __Now __excuse __me __I __have __to __go __to __the __library__' __He __turned __back __before __shutting __the __door '__Don't __you __have __classes __to __attend?__'_

Well, her conversation - if she could call it that - with Naru had been unsuccessful. He'd been acting so unconcerned that was bordering insensitivity…she was becoming angry. Why had she decided to visit him all of a sudden anyway? Because she was in the neighborhood?

"Maybe I was always on his bad side after all." Mai muttered with a sigh and a small pout.

It was another two hours before her next class would start. Michiru was occupied with homework…Mai yawned. The campus was starting to clear off again, the students were dispersing to their classrooms or dorms. The sky was clear and it was fairly warm out, considering that it was autumn. She sat back and slouched over a bit. Mai blinked a couple of times with no success, and fell asleep.

A girl was standing in front of her.

Mai started and rubbed her eyes. "You're -"

"You shouldn't go."

"Eh?"

Mai tried to sit up, but it seemed that she couldn't. She was only breathless for a moment when she realized that it was the girl from the cemetery. Twelve-year-old Kana.

The young girl's shoulder sagged slightly. Her voice was light and childish - but extremely serious. "My sister says it's bad. You don't care?"

Mai smiled and tilted her head to one side, "Care about what, Kana-chan? Where is your sister?"

"There. Sister not now."

"Th-"

A great tremor suddenly surrounded her. Mai hit her shoulder against the bench's backrest and then the whole seat shook as if it were shaking her off. It stopped abruptly and she lay panting on the wooden seat.

"W-what was that? An earthquake?"

Kana was calm, however, an eerie and distant smile on her face.

"I like it. Do it again Mai."

"W-what?"

"Yes, that."

Mai was suddenly very cautious - this wasn't a normal kid. Kana was smiling, pleased. The bench rattled, but didn't shake as it had before.

"Mai makes same face as sister. Do again."

Mai sat up with furrowed brows. She rubbed her cheek and winced. "Kana-chan, did you just do that?"

"Yes. I give, you gave back. I am happy."

Mai's breathing became heavier. She'd caused the movement? Did she have psychokinesis? Mai slowly got off the bench, and stepped onto the cement. Rapping sounds exploded and Mai fell over as the ground moved beneath her feet. She let out a groan as her knees smashed into the stone. "Kana-chan, stop it!"

"I like Mai's appearance. Do it again."

"You're hurting me."

"I do not want to."

Mai nodded encouragingly. "Then please stop."

"I do not wish it."

Mai licked her lips and swallowed. God it was like talking to a child with a loaded gun. She decided to change the subject to keep the girl occupied. "Kana-chan, how did you know my name? You said you heard it somewhere." Mai tried to calm her shaking voice.

"I heard it from a place." Kana whispered.

Mai remained patient. "Where?"

"There."

That 'there' again. She didn't seem to know the name of the location. And she didn't want Mai to go 'there'. Why was that? She had said she'd like Mai's appearance - it had been after she'd spoken in a shaken way. Yet she hadn't wanted to hurt her…Mai's head was rushing with thoughts. The girl's grammar was also becoming much smoother, easier to understand. It was as if she hadn't spoken in a long time, making her rusty with her speech.

Mai hardened her tone. "Kana-chan, you have to stop. It's hurting me."

"It's humorous."

Mai frowned. What was this girl saying? "I don't think so."

Kana met Mai's eyes and something sparked between them. A tension grew.

"I think so."

Mai woke up with a start.

...

John seated himself and spread out the books and papers that were piled in his arms. Masako took the seat across from him and eyed all of the data.

"We are going to go through all of this today?" She asked, hoping the answer wasn't what she knew it would be.

John smiled and nodded politely. "At least, as much as possible. Hara-san, I'm sorry but could you get the dictionary that I dropped over there…"

She nodded and picked up the book - much heavier than she would have expected. The public library was silent, filled with studious students and enthusiastic readers. Masako sighed as she sat down. What in the world was she doing on a rare free day of hers?

John was already deep into a file of papers and though she didn't want to interrupt his concentration, Masako didn't know where to start. Researching just wasn't her thing and it looked rather…boring.

"John-san?" No response. She watched him a moment before calling him again with a bit of a louder tone. "John-san."

"Ah, yes?"

Masako indicated the papers in his hands. "What are you reading?"

The priest made a silent 'oh' sound and smiled. "This is just some background information of the 'haunted home'. Who its previous owners were and of their mysterious deaths." With an apologetic look, John took another stack of the same size and handed it to the medium. "That was for you. I was too occupied with everything that I forgot to give it to you."

"It's fine."

The paper's heading and date indicated that it was from years ago. Quickly skimming the next few pages, Masako saw that it was similar to the ones John was reading.

"That packet has the detailed interpretations of the deaths. Yasuhara-san's father was kind enough to allow us to see it. I was wondering if you could read it and get the gist of what might have happened…"

Masako nodded in understanding. "Alright. I'll do my best, though it won't be any good until I can see the house myself."

It looked as if she'd said the magic words. John grinned and became exited. "Then will you come with me to see it? I was planning to go over today, but if you can come too it would be a great help."

How could she say no to that shining face of his?

"That's a good idea." Masako replied without much enthusiasm. It wouldn't hurt, and it would allow her to take another few days off. She took up the papers and began to read.

...

"Mai! Over here!"

The girl smiled, waved, and ran over to the car in front of her.

"Good afternoon, Bou-san."

The monk smiled at her, sticking his head out of the window. "Yo. How was work?"

"Good. Though it's still a bit weird for me to be working at a normal part time job instead of being at haunted sites exorcising ghosts."

Takigawa laughed at that. It was good to see the girl once in a while and doing her favors like this got him feeling like a brother again. Once she was in the passenger seat and buckled in, he drove off. She gave him directions once in a while and not much conversation passed between them.

Mai was half-tempted to tell him about her strange dreams. She knew that when the same figure kept appearing night after night, it was a bad sign. The girl had appeared even when she hadn't been sleeping as well. Perhaps she and the faceless one from her usual dream were somehow connected…But then again…

Takigawa's voice cut through her thoughts. His voice was playful and loud. "But you know, we're driving out pretty far. Does he live in a different town?"

Mai shook her head, gazing lazily at the passing by buildings. "No, just along the outskirts. It's the house at the far end of town. You know, the 'haunted' one."

Takigawa would have slammed down on the brakes if he hadn't been surrounded by moving cars. He froze in his seat, all playfulness gone.

"Eh…_the _haunted one that everyone knows about?" He held his breath.

"Yeah. Look, we can see it now."

_Damn…_His grip on the steering wheel tightened. Now what?

The road connected to a beaten, dirt path and headed straight for the house. Takigawa was seriously considering turning around, but with Mai's impatience, he decided to drive on. What was he to do? She knew it was supposedly haunted - everyone did. But cautioning her would only get her to worry and become suspicious, and that wasn't necessary. It was only a matter of whether it really did contain dangerous spirits... But the targets in the past had been young girls. _Her _age.

Big brother wouldn't allow it.

They had already reached the front of the house and Takigawa stopped the truck. Before he could say anything, Mai hoped out as soon as the car had slowed and started making her way to the door.

"Hey!"

She turned around to face Takigawa, motioning with her hand to lower his window.

"Bou-san, can you pick me up a couple hours afterward?"

_A __couple __of __hours. __I __doubt __anything __will __happen __but…_

Mai noticed his hesitation and quickly thought of an alternative. "If it's too much, I can always call Ayako -"

"Mai." He cut her off. She gave him a curious look and waited.

Takigawa shoved a hand into his pocket with a sigh of contemplation. After a moment, he got out of the truck and shut the door with a decided look. He walked up to her and put a reassuring hand on top of her head

Mai glanced up at him, eyes wide.

"I'll go in with you."

…

The front door opened wide with much gusto.

"You really came! Mai…and guest."

Akira's smile faded the slightest bit. "Are you her brother?" He asked.

"In a way." Takigawa shrugged. It was obvious the boy wanted him to hurry and leave, but there was no way in hell Takigawa would let Mai stay alone in a possibly haunted house, especially with only a boy. So he took his 'sister' by the shoulders and stepped right in.

"Please excuse our entrance-"

Akira didn't miss a beat and closed the door behind them. "You don't need to take off your shoes."

Mai who'd been in the process of doing just that stopped and smiled. "Neat."

Takigawa stepped onto the hallway and whistled. "This is some interior."

Akira recognized the statement as a comment and tilted his head, a content smile on his face.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

…

The house was not just a house - it was like a mansion.

The exterior of the structure was covered with vines, the paint peeling off in several places. The gardens hadn't been tended to in years and it seemed that untamed weeds were everywhere, even on the balcony and stairs. The inside, however, was a different story. It was like walking into an entirely different world - each room furnished differently. It was western in the kitchen, European in the living room with intricate wooden doors, stairs, chairs and tables, and traditional Japanese in the dining room. Mai's feet almost slipped on the polished floors. It both fascinated and frightened her, but couldn't understand why.

"My mother couldn't stand the gloominess of it before we re-did the inside." Asou explained. "As for the clashing of cultures…well my dad's a bit odd like that."

Mai was still gaping, impressed. Takigawa was nodding while looking at this and that. There were quite a few unneeded trinkets, but he guessed that it was the mother's hobby to decorate.

"Come on," Akira stated at the two. "It's the family room that's the best part."

They followed.

As soon as she entered the room, Mai was in love with the furnishing. Nothing was overly done and everything looked quite cozy. Mai walked over to a couch and sat on it, wishing she could have one just like it.

Takigawa was very impressed, voicing his opinion with a whistle. He held the back of his neck with a hand as he eyed the fireplace. "Man, it seriously makes you think of the phrase, 'don't judge a book by its cover.'" He looked over to Akira who was now standing with his arms crossed. He looked like he was used to the reactions.

Takigawa turned his face and muttered, "Heh. That phrase doesn't apply to him, though." _He __wanted __to __impress __us, knew it would. _The monk could hear Mai complimenting the carpet and the boy's content laughs.

_That pisses me off…_

As Takigawa looked away, something to his right caught his eye. A camera on a stand, pointing from the corner into the room. He saw the red light and realized that the camera was on. What was it doing there? The monk was casually reaching over when -

"Don't touch that!"

Takigawa whipped his hand away. "Huh? What?"

"Please-" The boy had an annoyed look before it disappeared as he caught himself. Akira walked over and making sure it hadn't been messed with, turned to the monk.

"It belongs to my father." Akira explained impatiently. "He wanted to capture possible signs of spirits in the house. That's recording the room temperature right now."

"If the room temperature drops drastically, then it means a spirit is present…right?" Mai added to the statement, not wanting to show that she knew too much.

Akira smiled. He'd heard that she'd also worked part-time for a ghost hunter. "You've worked with them?"

Mai scrapped her cheek, shrugging. "I'm familiar, yeah…" _I __was __the __one __to __position __them __on __every __single __case…_

"There are a lot more of them placed around the house as well as normal cameras for observations. Please be free to look around - that's what I'd initially invited you over for. "

Takigawa eyed the boy beside him with suddenly narrowed eyes. Initially? His brotherly side was starting to engulf him entirely. The monk inched towards the boy and slung an arm over him. "You don't have a thing for Mai do you?"

"B-bou-san!"

Unbeknownst to Takigawa, Akira narrowed his eyes at him without amusement. "Haha, perhaps so. Is it obvious?"

Takigawa hesitated only momentarily when he realized Akira wasn't being funny. He tightened his fists and laughed uneasily. "You…oh you…some things you can't joke about like that. Get me a drink will you?"

The boy shrugged off the monk's grip and nodded, turning his back on him. "Sure thing. This way into the dining room."

They followed the boy. The dining room had an eerie feeling to it - a sort of emptiness that couldn't be shaken off. If Takigawa had been standing there alone, he felt as if lost voices would start whispering to him in the dark and long room. Real bamboo plants were lined along one side of the wall, while on the other side were the paper doors that slid open one after another all the way down.

Despite the Japanese settings, there was a normal dining table at the center of the room. He stared around a bit before taking a seat. The chair that Takigawa sat in was more comfortable than he would have imagined it could have been - considering that there were no cushions. Akira filled a glass of apple cider and handed it to the monk.

Takigawa took a sip of the drink and turned to the spot beside him, holding out a drink. The seat was empty.

"Eh, Jou-chan?"

Suddenly Akira was looking around with him and they realized that only the two of them were in the room.

…

When Akira had said to 'Please be free to look around', Mai had decided to take full advantage of his permission. She'd immediately gone back to the staircase while Takigawa and Akira had been talking and walking into the dining room.

Mai walked up the stairs with admiration and excitement. When she reached upstairs, she saw that it wasn't yet finished with its decorations. Some parts of the walls were bare. The second story opened wide into a number of turning rooms and hallways. She took one way, and started her walk down - guessing that it would bring her back to the start in a circle.

_Way too many rooms for a family of three_, she thought.

Mai saw that most of the doors were closed, but then some were opened; and all the ones that were had drapes along the walls and were still being unused. She guessed that they were being cleaned out. Mai saw that the tables had dust cloths covering them from long disuse and the windows had been covered with long, thick curtains. In short, all of the covering gave a rather gloomy and heavy feel to the atmosphere.

It was like that until she came to a certain room filled with sunlight. It was like a breath of fresh air. The curtains were tied back, allowing everything to have a soft glow. There was less furniture inside than any other room had held and they all looked brand new. Mai took a step in, and as she did so something she couldn't explain engulfed her. As soon as she'd entered, it was as if she'd entered a new world - a new dimension. But it was gone as soon as it had let her experience it. It faded away like an old daydream and soon disapeared from her mind. The only thing that was now on her mind was the wardrobe that she hadn't noticed before, staring straight at her.

It made Mai's breath stop. Why was it in the room? It was obvious that it didn't belong. The color of the wood was too dark to match anything else in the room, and it was clearly years old. Though it was completely different from the one she'd seen in her dream, the image of the classroom became vivid.

_There was a wide closet at the back. It's two doors opened out like a cupboard._

Mai shook her head and approached it. Her hands slowly moved on their own to the handles. With a short breath, she allowed herself to get a firm grip and with a silent count of three, opened it.

Nothing. How odd.

_Huh_? Déjà vu.

Then something to the side of it, on the wall…something on the wall….Mai's hand reached forward with mixed feelings of wonder and fear.

Then there was a sudden presence behind her.

Mai spun around with a gasp.

It was a girl around 20 years of age. She was watching Mai with a blank look, but it could have been interpreted as a look of terror that had petrified the girl in place. Either way, she wouldn't step a foot inside the room.

"Oh! You, scared me." Mai muttered, her shoulders sagging.

How long had she been standing there? Mai hadn't felt the girl's presence until seconds before and the girl's composure was calm. Mai closed the wardrobe's doors and gave a slight bow of an apology.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to be poking around."

The girl blinked. Her eyes were wide and staring at the wardrobe, not at Mai. When she raised her head, locks of black hair surrounded her narrow eyes.

"Do you…live here?" It didn't sound like a question. The girl didn't sound angered or curious.

Mai hesitantly shook her head. "Akira-kun invited me over to see the house. I'm just a friend of his."

"He lives here?"

There was emphasis on the 'he'. Mai observed her closer and realized that the girl's clothes reminded her of a maid. A long black dress with a white apron.

"…do you not work here?" Mai was on guard now. There was something about the girl that was making her nervous. What was it?

"Come away from there." Her voice held no emotion. It was like talking to a doll with the dull, empty and emotionless response it would give if they could talk. It was rather disturbing.

Mai took a step towards the girl, but the maid began walking backwards until she was away from Mai's sight. The girl began running down the hall. Mai reached out with a hand. "Ah, wait!"

Mai left the room and into the hallway.

Just as she was starting to follow the running girl, the doorbell rang and within the second that Mai took to look back, the maid vanished.

* * *

To Be Continued…

* * *

Chapter 4: Mystery for Two

From 'Silent Christmas' File 5

Takigawa nodded in agreement. "They change after all - manifestations."

Mai looked up with surprise. "Eh? Really?"

"Yeah." The monk raised a hand for explanation. "They often say that your ancestor's spirits will curse you right? But do you think most people would want to make their own descendants miserable?"

It made sense. Her eyes widened with realization.

"And yet such cursing exist." Takigawa raised his teacup and looked straight at her, adding on to his explanation. "In other words, people who've died and are wandering the world can change. It's not so much that the actual person changes - it's more that they absorb powerful thoughts around them and change form."

"So that means they're constantly being influenced by their surroundings?" Mai asked catching on quickly. "So just because Kenji-kun was a good kid, it doesn't guarantee that he'll always be that way."


	5. Chapter 4 Mystery for Two

_We dream to escape harsh reality. But within those dreams, we find false hopes and nightmares. They grow to devour your mind. Soon, nothing is left but doubt._

Previously:

Mai took a step towards the girl, but the maid began walking backwards until she was away from her sight and began rushing down the hall. Mai reached out with a hand. "Ah, wait!"

She left the room and hurried into the hallway.

Just as she was starting to follow the running girl, the doorbell rang and within the second that Mai took to look back, the maid vanished.

ტThe Autumn Roomტ

**October 20th Saturday: 12:16 PM**

She was seeing things, right?

It took a moment of staring before Mai realized that no, she was fully awake and that the figures of four very familiar, unexpected people were standing with equal surprise at the front door. Her eyes, at the moment, were solely focused on a certain, young man.

"Taniyama-san! Takigawa-san!" John was the first to speak, breaking the silence. There was the obvious underlying question of, '_What are you two doing here_?' The priest's look of utmost curiosity made the situation almost comical.

Mai blinked to attention, her startled expression turning to the voice to her left. Masako gave her a slight smile. The priest, who was now grinning with prominent blue eyes, watched Mai for a reply.

Pausing a moment, Mai quickly snapped to her senses, "I'm here visiting my friend," came the answer with her usual characteristic brightness, however fake it may have been at the moment. "He lives here now. We - Bou-san and I - were checking out his home…" her voice faded as she spoke, growing distracted.

"Ah, I see."

Mai could see out of the corner of her eyes that Naru was watching her. How long had it been since they'd been this close? Oh, on the day she'd spilled hot chocolate on him. Well, that didn't count! She couldn't think straight and was almost glad when Takigawa spoke, giving her a reason to turn her face away from _him_.

"Lin, Naru-chan! What natural forces could have brought us together like this do you think?"

There was no answer, the two obviously not as amused at the situation as the monk was. Akira was standing beside the open door with irritation. It was then he thought that he'd waited enough for whatever interactions were going on between the 6 of them. The boy loudly cleared his throat.

"Excuse me Takigawa-san. Yes- well, please come in. Thank you for coming SPR…and _more _guests."

Masako 'hmphed' and turned away.

- Insert opening song -

Chapter 4: Mystery for Two

Ayako sat upon the bench, simply staring out into the late afternoon sun. A cool breeze passed by and lightly brushed against her long red hair. She groaned to herself, crossing one leg over the other and impatiently tapping the toe of her shoe against the concrete ground.

Her train had been delayed due to unexpected and unexplained track problems. Figures - just when she was in a hurry she would have to be held back two extra hours.

There was nothing she could really do but wait. It was crowded at the station with people on trips and those, like her, waiting for the next ride to arrive. She had wanted to get back to the apartment before Takigawa could, after he'd dropped Mai off at her friend's house. After always criticizing the monk for his tardiness, she hated having to think that she would have to swallow her own words. Ayako checked her watch again, and sighed. She hoisted her body up, pressing her hands against her lap, and briskly walked away. Judging the situation, it would take another 2 and a half hours or so for the next train to arrive, and driving would be much more efficient. (And just the same as taking any other means of transportation, minus having a number of random pressed up against you. Ayako had shuddered at the thought of taking a subway.)

The miko took out the piece of paper with written directions as she headed towards her car. Takigawa had taken care to carefully write down everything clearly. It was quite easy to follow and Ayako was glad to not have waited for the train.

It was nearly a half an hour drive to the next town. The directions on the paper lead her to a quiet neighborhood and Ayako parked her car at a lot near a convenience store. It was just a short walk to the town's library - a three story building with an impressive exterior. Instead of feeling accomplishment, Ayako felt exasperation. It was _after _entering the building that she'd start her real job and apparently, it couldn't be done anywhere else but here.

She crossed the street and walked up the short flight of stairs.

Ayako entered the building, cautiously walking into what seemed to be another dimension. All the noise of passing cars and chatting people came to an abrupt halt when the large door closed behind her. She was immediately engulfed by the smell of old books and pencil shavings. The miko had thought that she would feel a bit of fear being in a library again - being only a few months after their last case - but instead felt calm and at home.

She made a slight movement, causing her to crinkle the piece of paper that was still in her grip. It snapped her back into thought. _Go __to __the __front __desk._

It was quite easy to locate and the elderly woman there was kind enough to point out the shelves she asked for. They took a short walk up to the second story and down a ways to the left.

"Here they are." The woman said kindly, pointing with a shaky finger. "The articles you want should be between these tabs. If you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Ah, thank you." Ayako eyed the papers that needed to be looked through. She regretted not having brought Takigawa with her. But then again, she had very mixed feelings towards her 'partner' at the moment.

Scratching her cheek a bit, Ayako wondered where she would need to start. The information on the five deaths had already been collected. The family names of the passed away girls were, from most recent to the first victim of the house, Fujimoto, Yoshida, Saito, Inoue, and Kawazoe. But even with this knowledge, it was almost impossible to dig out more information. There would be a better chance of finding newspaper articles or data in an older and larger library (like this one) - at least they were hoping so.

She was deep in thought, flipping through article after article with the specified dates buried into her memory. When she thought she saw something of importance, Ayako leaned over to read it. She scowled when it was nothing.

She didn't notice that a person was now standing behind her, only a foot away.

"Miss, are you alright?" it was a voice Ayako did not hear. "Miss?" A hand landed upon her shoulder cautiously. Ayako startled; she jerked her head in the direction of her questioner and tried to stand up.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I startled you." The elder voice's hand patted her shoulder kindly. He paused a moment as he took a step back. Ayako calmed down when her eyes drifted into focus on the man before her; an elder gentleman, his aging hair prominent silver as opposed to aging grey. He stood strong and steadfast before her, a gentle smile on his thin lips.

Ayako blushed from her sudden reaction. The man motioned to the papers spread across the desk and asked, "Looking for something in particular? Maybe I could be of help."

She understood that he was another librarian. She noticed a cart of books behind him.

"Ah…just some research." Ayako replied, sitting back down and trying to cover up the headlines of the articles, _"The __Third __Victim __of __'Haunted __House'" _However, the man had already laid his eyes on them.

"My, what need would a young woman like you have of such dark past events?"

Ayako thought quickly, not wanting to give too much away. "It's… part of my job. Umm…" She didn't know how to explain it. The man had suddenly appeared out of no where and she didn't feel like conversing at the moment. However, she thought, if he could help her finish up more quickly….

The miko tapped her chin as she ran her wording through her mind "Um, you wouldn't happen to know something about the deaths related to that house, would you?" Ayako asked, pointing to the picture of said house.

It took a moment for the man to recognize the picture, but when he did, Ayako saw his eyes widen. She watched him carefully. He nodded and sighed deeply, as if he was remembering a burden he'd buried away years ago.

"Ohh…" The man pulled back a chair and sat down with sudden weariness. It took him a moment to form his words but what he said next had Ayako gasping with sympathy. "My granddaughter, Inoue, had been the second victim to that house."

"I'm…I'm so sorry! I didn't know -"

"Then you have no reason to apologize!" The old man laughed loudly, a reaction Ayako hadn't been expecting. The man gazed at Ayako with a kind expression as he made himself comfortable in his seat. The miko started to speak up when the man raised a hand, cutting her off. He pushed up his glasses and gave her a nod.

"If it's information you want, there's plenty of it whether they be facts or rumors. But first, I have a story to tell."

...

They were all seated in the living room: Akira, Mai, and Takigawa on one couch, Masako, John, Naru and Lin on the other, and the amount of tension in the air could have suffocated them then and there.

The newly arrived didn't seem as impressed with the interior as Mai and Takigawa had been, though John did show some enthusiasm at 'clash of cultures'. The other silent three were drinking tea with an air around them that was annoying the hell out of Mai.

_They're __all __probably __used __to __these __types __of __settings_, she thought grumpily, almost angered by the fact that she'd been so astounded before. She nosily sipped her tea, receiving a look of disproval from the medium.

"So, I heard from my mother that two gentlemen from the SPR office would be coming by today, but I don't know if…" Akira trailed off eyeing John and Masako.

The priest smiled back. "I called you earlier today wondering if we could come over to inspect the house."

Akira sat thinking, trying to remember such a call. Then his eyes lit up with recollection. "Ah, that was you? I'm sorry…I guess your voice sounds familiar now."

John grinned and nodded, content with being partially remembered. Mai could see that Masako was now completely oblivious to the ongoing conversations. Her eyes were focusing this way and that, already sensing something in the house. Mai smiled to herself at girl's typical actions.

"Takigawa-san, what are you and Mai doing here?"

"Ah, well - "

"I asked him for a ride." Mai replied quickly. Naru looked at her when she'd cut into the beginning of their conversation. "Akira-kun invited me over so that I could check the house out, and I needed a ride."

"Does he attend school with you?" Naru questioned.

Mai hesitated slightly. Then she eyed him and nodded. "He does."

She noticed no reaction to the answer, the young man merely sipped his tea as if he'd been trying to make light conversation - which was unlikely because she knew he hated unnecessary chattering. So it made her curious and a tad bit irritated.

Akira was sitting, staring straight at Naru with such intensity that Mai could feel it even with her face turned away. Naru, however, didn't seem to be concerned with the fact that he was being watched. Mai laughed bitterly in her mind, supposing that he was very used to it by now.

"Eh…So _you're _the boss?"

Mai didn't like the way Akira had said his…question. She watched as Naru put down his cup of tea and nod.

"I am." _And what of it?_

"I though for sure that the man next to you was. I mean, you're no older than I am!"

Mai felt the sudden urge to defend her old boss. "But you know, there's not one case that Naru hasn't been able to solve! There was a time that he figured everything out what took us days, and that was after waking up from being possessed!" The angry tremor in her voice had been unintentional, but it had made her point. Suddenly Mai noticed the uncomfortable silence that had fallen around them and her eyes automatically fell on Naru. Oh my. Had she really said that out-loud? Mai could have fallen over with embarrassment. The look she'd seen on Naru's face had been…what? She couldn't get past those eyes any more. Mai pressed her hands down on her lap and muttered with a much softer tone, "Age doesn't matter if you have the right experience and knowledge."

Akira seemed to be taken aback, and fell into silence - though his lips were now in a pout.

Takigawa let out a small sigh, the atmosphere was getting too uncomfortable. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to investigate anything.

"Naru-chan," he began, "Since you've taken the case and Mai is friends with the client's son, why don't we all help you out? Ayako is somewhat involved now as well…"

Naru was listening with a passive face. He gazed directly at the monk and said, "I won't stop you if you'd like to take part. However, know that Lin and I will be doing things at our own pace."

"All right then, let's do this!" Undeterred by Naru's tone of indifference towards his offering of help, Takigawa stood from his seat with a raised fist. "Let's go Mai-chan! What first, setting up the base? Where _is _the base? Ah, but you guys just got here!"

_Bou__-__san…_Mai felt as if he were trying too hard.

Then out of the corner of her eyes, she saw movement. Distracted and interested, she turned her head to look at the now slightly unsettled medium. Masako's sleeve was raised to her lips - already a sign that she had sensed too much of whatever negative spirit was residing in the house. Masako shook a little and whether it was from fear or a sudden chill, Mai couldn't tell. She tilled her head with concern.

"Masa -"

"Hara-san, do you sense something?"

Naru's cold and precise voice sounded, apparently unaware that he'd just cut her off. Mai twitched in her seat as the medium responded.

"Eh…there are so many of them - all young girls around my age. They are lost here. Their presence is strongest upstairs." She swayed towards Naru's arms, and Mai blanched at their contact.

"Upstairs?" Naru repeated, looking up. Mai was watching him carefully, and immediately saw the look in his eye that meant he already knew something they didn't.

_Why does he always have to keep silent?_

Akira cleared his throat, deciding to take part in the conversation once more. "That's pretty impressive Hara-san, taking into account that you know nothing of the case yet." All eyes fell on the young man who was now standing, arms crossed with a disturbing amount of smugness. "The reason why the presence is so strong upstairs, is because -"

"Is because all of the five victims had been found in the fourth room down the left hallway…correct?"

Naru was not to be outdone. However, he'd added the unnecessary 'correct' for Akira's pride's sake. Mai guessed large egos recognized each other when they met.

Akira's face fell faster than a dropped stone. Instead of impressed like he had been with Masako, he seemed angered that the spotlight had been taken away. Takigawa hid his laughter. Mai felt better, glad that someone like Naru was there to keep Akira in check. Too bad they couldn't just cancel each other out - instead the narcissism would double.

But something suddenly came back to mind and Mai turned to the offended man. She couldn't believe that she'd almost forgotten.

"Akira-kun, you don't happen to have maid in the house, do you?" The question was as awkward as it sounded.

He looked surprised, puzzled. "A maid? What are you talking about?"

…

"Well, at least I wasn't seeing things."

Everyone could see the girl clearly on the monitor. Her figure was much hazier than her surroundings, but there was definitely another figure. They watched as the girl began running off, and Mai soon following after. Then they both disappeared from view. Akira paused the tape, and rewinded back.

"But there was a time like this once, right?" Takigawa said, a finger tapping his chin. "When I was trying to purify the living room during the 'Doll House' case. You could see the figure through the monitor, but not when you entered the room."

Mai remembered, and remembered Minnie and her first encounter with live spirits - not minding the paradox.

Naru played the tape again and watched intently, pausing here and there. Mai saw the expression in his eyes go from composed to suddenly one with concentration. As soon as it appeared, Naru was moving away from the screen, his gaze falling on Mai.

"Did you notice anything odd about her?"

"Odd?"

"Out of the ordinary."

Mai reacted to the retort with a deep frown. "You're so kind for explaining." She snapped at him. She turned away and scratched the side of her head, the red strands of her hair tickling her fingers. "I don't think…I was only focusing on her face and clothes."

"It doesn't have to be just physically."

Mai took that into consideration and thought some more. "Well, she didn't seem to want to enter the room. She asked me if I lived here, and I replied that I didn't. I assumed she worked here as a maid or something when I saw her clothes, but then she asked me who Akira was and whether _he _lived here or not." Mai paused, a sense of uneasiness passing through her. "It could have been a spirit, but she was so life-like…Ne, don't you think it's strange?"

"It certainly is." Takigawa replied. He turned to the medium standing near the doorway and asked, "Masako. Do you feel - Oi! What's wrong?"

When Mai turned around, she saw that Masako was half bent over, her shaking form between John's arms. The priest looked up, his face filled with worry.

"She suddenly fell over and started breathing heavily…Hara-san, are you alright?"

When Masako raised her face, she was an unnatural shade of white. She gave a small cough and allowed herself to be supported by John's arms. She let out a shaky breath. "I don't think I can stay up here for much longer - the sounds of them crying and screaming are…too loud to bear."

She held her head as if it were causing her a great deal of pain. Mai froze in place when she realized that an all too familiar and disturbing metal-like smell was lingering in the air. She clapped her hands over her mouth and cringed.

"Mai, you too?" Takigawa asked, panic on the edge of his voice.

"No, I'm fine. Just felt a little woozy." She and Masako, however, exchanged looks of understanding.

Naru tapped his chin. "Hara-san, do you think you could check the room Mai had been in before leaving?"

She looked truly regretful. "I'm sorry Naru. Perhaps after the presence has died down a bit."

"Anyway Masako, let's get you downstairs."

The medium happily obliged. The monk and priest left, both of them on either side of her, supporting her when she faltered in her steps.

Akira raised a brow when they were out of sight. "Bit dramatic don't you think?"

Mai frowned, anger starting to fill her up. "You wouldn't understand. Seeing spirits is as normal as seeing people for Masako."

With no signs of shame, Akira turned to her. "Do you have skills like that?"

Before she could answer, Naru cut in with a tone that meant he was very annoyed. "Mai. I think you should head home for the day. Takigawa-san can drive you, and I suggest that you stay away from here until the case has been solved."

"But I don't want to leave yet." Mai's voice was as stubborn as her posture. He wasn't her boss anymore, and even if he were, she wouldn't allow anyone to order her around like that.

"Takigawa-san and the others will be sufficient enough to solve this case."

_Without __you. _She silently added on. "Then you should have fired me a long time ago."

He turned to her, and she mistook the moment of short silence as a consideration of his past actions. It boiled her insides and then something sparked inside of her - something she had been harboring for some time.

"Fine then." She said louder than necessary, her brows starting to come together and her shoulders raising slightly. "But don't think that I'm leaving just because you've decided to take on a case!" Mai slowed when she was nearly out the door and added on angrily: "I _will _be back soon!"

Naru called at her sternly. "Mai!"

She stopped in her steps, her fists clenched. She hated it when he called her name like that - like a child that was acting rashly and needed scolding. So instead of staying to listen, Mai turned around and gave him a meaningful glare. And that was the end of that.

Her anger filled steps down the stairs reached everyone's ears in an awkward way. Takigawa had overheard everything on his way back to the base. He gave a short wave to Naru - one that didn't involve eye contact - and quickly followed the girl to the front door. He saw her waiting there, hand on the knob, and walked to her with a sigh. She wouldn't look at him and all he felt that he could do was rest a calming hand on her shoulder.

She opened the door and before they could take another step -

_Don__'t __leave…_

Mai stopped abruptly, as if the door had re-closed and she'd run into it. Takigawa ran into her back but steadied himself with a hand. He turned around with narrowed eyes and listened. There had been a voice just now…

Mai was shaking. Her body was submerged in fear. From far off she could hear the monk ask her something…there was screaming and pain and hatred. Her posture was straight and still, but her breath was out of rhythm, a jellyfish had replaced her heart.

"Mai, let's get out. _Now_."

The stress in his voice was enough to snap her back into her senses. Mai was lead back to his truck and she sat down in the passenger's seat. A pair of feet that didn't belong to Takigawa followed, and occupied the space behind her. She didn't realize that the other person was there until the house was out of sight and behind her. Until her heartbeat had leveled out again and the dreadfully pained voice was out of her mind.

When Mai remembered to breath.

…

After everything was settled and everyone out of the base, Lin couldn't help but ask.

"Naru. Why didn't you tell Mai it is for her protection that she must leave?"

The young man stood silent, flipping through the charts as if he hadn't heard. How could he answer a question he didn't know the answer too? And he could never admit that - he always knew. He slowly released the paper in his grasp that had caused a hundred creases to spread across the sheet.

He turned around, and said: "I just don't want her to interfere."

And he cringed for making such a blatant lie.

Takigawa watched with worry as Mai slid out of the car. Yes slid, not jumped. She'd been affected by the…whatever it had been, the most and it didn't seem like it'd let up soon. He looked at her through the glass of the windshield, and slammed his palm to sound a honk. It made her jump and turn around.

Takigawa stuck his head out the window. "Forgetting someone, aren't you?"

Taking those words as his cue, Akira came out of the truck and ran up to the now wide-eyed girl.

"Ah, I'm sorry Asou-kun."

He shook his head, signaling that it wasn't a problem. "Oh, and thanks for the ride…Bou-san."

Takigawa smiled and waved, but shuddered on the inside. It so didn't sound right when the boy called him that. As he pulled out of the apartment's parking lot, he could see the pair of waving hands slowly disappear into pinpoints in his rearview mirror. He would definitely have to check up on Mai later after she'd calmed down a bit to see how she was doing.

But then when he realized where his next destination would be, Takigawa's grip on the steering wheel tightened. He glanced at his watch a number of times until he willed himself to finally just _look_.

1: 52 PM. Nearly an hour after their appointed time to meet back at his apartment.

He wondered if Ayako had already finished her research and was waiting for him. On the couch. With that glaring look of hers and with her arms crossed over her chest.

He hoped to god that she wasn't.

…

Perhaps exhaustion from the sleepless nights caused time to skip, and in what felt like mere moments later, it was already 10:12 at night and the stars were in the sky.

Mai was leaning on the rail out on her small balcony, breathing out deeply to watch her breath fly into the sky and fade away in a thin trail of smoke. Her mind had been out of it since she'd left the house - a quiet dread that wouldn't leave her in peace.

She didn't notice him until the light turned on, but soon Akira's back door slid open and he walked outside on the balcony right beside her. Mai noticed that he was fully dressed, ready to go out. Her mouth was half open when her unspoken question was interrupted by a question of his own.

"What happened to you back there?"

Mai tilted her head towards him, resting her head down upon the rails, on her warm arms. She didn't quite understand it either so she stood silent.

Was he still looking at her? When she peeked to check, she saw him with both arms in the air, reaching up with stretched fingers towards the sky. She suppressed a grin. "What are you doing?"

"Stretching!" With a deep groan, he slowly lowered his arms and raised his lips into a thin smile. "My brother used to do it all the time - 'just reach up into the sky until you feel as if you've channeled all your problems away.'"

"Into the sky?" She asked softly.

Akira shook his head. "No. Just _away_. Like a puff of breath into the air."

Mai had forgotten that he'd had a brother. Years ago until he'd been taken away, just like her parents had been. She realized that the fact of having a family was too…taken for granted, and something nagged at her from the back of her mind.

"Asou-kun, why don't you live with your parents?"

"…because they're my parents?"

Mai snorted. Apparently the answer made complete sense to him, so it would have to suffice for now. "If my parents were still alive, I'd live with them until I got married."

"Who knows when that'll be?" He laughed, turning away when she glared at him. "That might have been okay for you, but do you realize how inconsiderate that would've been for your folks?" He was quiet for a moment. "I was just kidding. Actually, this place is a lot closer to school. Besides, I can always go home for the weekends."

Mai seemed to consider this. "I guess so."

There was the sound of his hand sliding into his coat jacket. Mai looked at him again and had to focus her eyes for a moment to see the object that was being held in front of her face.

"Is…that you?" Her voice came out as an unintentional giggle towards the end of her question. The picture showed the figures of two young boys, posing with Frisbees in their hands and frozen laughter plastered onto their young, carefree faces. Mai safely assumed that the other boy, older by a couple of years, was Akira's late brother.

Akira shrugged, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Whatever. I want you to have it."

Mai raised an eyebrow with amusement. "Don't tell me you were planning this?"

"Shut up. Just take it." He sniffed. "It's a bit old, but I don't have any recent pictures of me."

Mai reached over and snatched it from his hand, a playful grin on her face. She felt somewhat relaxed. "Thanks. I shall take good care of it."

Akira smiled and nodded. Mai wondered why couldn't behave like this when they were surrounded by people. It was as if he deliberately kept on a mask, though even now Mai couldn't tell which was which.

After Akira had gone back inside, the lights turned off and she heard him leave his room. Mai realized that she'd forgotten to ask him where he was planning to head out so late at night. But instead of letting it bother her, she looked up at the moon and grinned.

Hesitant at first, Mai willed her hands to reach up, past her shoulders and above her head, until she was reaching up so hard that she wondered if her muscles were to relax the slightest bit, she would fly into the air and disappear.

Ayako sighed for the umpteenth time, causing Takigawa's frown to deepen.

There had been a time like this when the two of them had been in an argument and the miko had decided to give him the silent treatment. Oh it had driven him _crazy_. Right now was no exception.

Takigawa turned right at the stop light and glanced at the woman beside him while doing so. "You know Ayako, you were the one who arrived half an hour after I did, so I don't know why you're so upset with me."

She rolled her eyes, she'd been expecting nothing less. And thus she had already prepared a counter-attack. "I _told _you I didn't want to go to the library!"

"Whoa. You're talking!" He winced when her palm connected with the side of his head. "Hey I'm driving woman!"

He heard her huff in her seat, eyes closed and arms crossed.

"How was I supposed to know that an old geezer would come up to you and hold you hostage for nearly three hours?"

"He just wouldn't stop talking." Ayako groaned, seemingly glad that he was heading towards a point she'd been wanting to complain about for hours. "And I got nothing useful out of it at all! Seriously, the man had short term memory loss. Even with his granddaughter being a victim and all, he kept forgetting what we were talking about, or kept mumbling nonsense."

"Are you sure he was even right about his granddaughter?"

"I did the research and asked some questions." She said, offended that he would except anything less.

The monk shrugged. "I still want to hear everything he had to say later on."

"Alright, alright." She muttered.

They were nearing the outskirts of town now. There were less lights surrounding them and even the sounds of driving cars seemed far-off. Ayako realized that they were almost there.

"What did you say happened as you were leaving again?" She asked this to start up a conversation again. The lack of words between them along with the darkness was starting to give her mental strain.

Takigawa shook his head. "I'm not sure, but something extremely evil passed by when we were leaving the house."

"You don't sound so convincing."

The monk paused a moment and made a dark face as he turned to her. "_Extremely _evil."

Ayako held back a laugh. "Alright then Mr. Physic, what happened to John and Masako afterwards?"

"I'm pretty sure they left soon after Mai, Akira and I did. Masako wasn't faring so well in there, but I'm sure the two will be back soon."

As soon as he'd finished his sentence, Takigawa could see the house come into view. The truck jostled the two of them a bit as they traveled along the gravel path to the front of the house, and Takigawa stopped his car in front of a tangled bush. Ayako eyed the place in disdain as they made their way to the porch. As the door opened, Takigawa was surprised to see a familiar boy standing behind it, instead of a narcissist boss clad in black.

Akira stepped back and slapped a hand behind his head. "Back _again_?"

**11:20 PM**

After meeting him for the first time, Ayako finally realized what it was about the boy that irked her. He was a wanna be Naru-chan.

As she watched with a twitch in her brow, Takigawa and Akira stood beside Naru, talking about this and that. How could Mai deal with such people? It was something special indeed, and Ayako wondered if it was because the girl had had lots of practice in the past.

_Ahhh, __she__'s __still __in __a __bitter __mood. _Takigawa thought with a sigh when he looked towards her and saw the dark cloud overhead.

_"__Back __again?__"__Akira __asked __as __soon __as __he'd __opened __the __door_

_Takigawa raised a hand and shrugged. "Hi to you too."_

_The boy looked at Ayako and asked the monk, "Who's she?"_

_Ayako frowned. She could just as well answer questions herself. Who did he think he was?_

_"Oh. This is Matsuzaki Ayako, a miko. She's also part of the SPR."_

_There was a long pause where Akira seemed to consider the information. Then he said the inevitable. "You're…a **miko**?"_

Naru walked from Lin's side to Takigawa, passing him sheets of paper and explaining that he and Lin were about to set up some more cameras.

"We could do it you know." The monk offered, but was cut off by a shake of the young man's head.

"There is something I want to see for myself. Please stay here with Matsuzaki-san and Asou-san until we return. Keep an eye on the screens."

"'Kay." Takigawa sang in reply.

Ayako stood up from her seat. She didn't want to stay with the kid, but…

Lin and Naru left the room. The computer screens were glaring lights, showing the views of a number of rooms - including the one Mai had been in earlier that day. Akira had his eyes on it for an intent moment, before walking out into the hallway. Unfortunately, Ayako and Takigawa had been in conversation, him filling her in on what had happened to Mai.

"That's pretty creepy," Ayako said with a shudder. "for a physical entity to appear."

"Isn't it? And Mai _did_ seem to have had a conversation with the girl, and she wasn't dreaming it at the time since it was caught on camera - oi!"

Takigawa moved forward, sharply towards Ayako, and she backed off with surprise. "What do you think you're -"

Then she realized that no, he hadn't been advancing towards her, but towards the computer screens. She heard him say part of a question before she could turn around.

"When did he…"

Takigawa was facing the same screen Akira had been minutes ago. Ayako pressed besides the monk's shoulder and tried to get a better view. It was difficult for two people to be close to it at the same time.

"What's he doing? Can't you zoom in on these?"

"I already would have if I could!" Takigawa snapped at her. She scowled back and crossed her arms in defense.

"Like I know that!"

He wasn't listening to her. Instead, started observing and talking to himself. "He shouldn't be in there alone right now. When did he leave the room?"

The camera had been angled near the doorway on a four feet tall stand, and showed the back of Akira's squatted down form, as well as the wardrobe and a small covered table. He was inspecting a wall. The wall beside the looming wardrobe. It was frustrating to not be able to see what the boy was exactly doing.

Ayako, with worry-filled eyes, patted Takigawa's arm and offered a suggestion. "Turn up the volume."

There was the sound of ripping paper - something being forced off a surface. They could see that the boy was taking off the wall paper, a whole section of it, before inspecting the wall behind it. After a moment, as if he knew they were watching, Akira turned to the camera, and gave a thumbs up.

The two held their breaths, and waited.

Akira faced a certain part of the wall and trailed his fingers down what seemed to be a crevice in the wood. It slowly opened into a black darkness.

"Damn, that boy's up to no good!" Takigawa turned around, and ran out of the base, despite the fact that he didn't quite know _which _room the boy was in.

Akira had turned back to the camera with a proud look that was spreading onto his face. He smiled as if he were giving a performance. There was something eerie about the way he was behaving, as if he were about to share a dark secret.

As Ayako watched from the screen, he gave a short bow, and walked into the wall.

* * *

To Be Continued…

* * *

Chapter 5: Anamnesis

Takigawa rubbed the back of his neck, completely bewildered. "It's a complete change in character, isn't it?"

Akira clenched his fists to disguise any sign of visual shaking as he stared up to the man who stood in his path. Forcing as much determination into his gaze as he could encourage, he found himself momentarily winning.

"I…" Akira's voice hesitated, he could force himself to look stern, but something made him think that it was against his character. Instead he dropped his gaze. "Could you please tell me my name again?"

Ayako slapped both hands sharply against the boy's cheeks and stared into his eyes. "Asou." She said clearly as Takigawa shook his head behind her. "Asou Akira!"

**AN**: I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update, but my finals are _finally _over. Please review! ( any advice or suggestions to improve my writing would be very appreciated. I did the editing myself, and I re-read the chapter a number of times carefully, but I bet there are still mistakes.) -chants- push the button, push the button…it'll make me update soon…er


	6. Chapter 5 Anamnesis

Previously:

Akira faced a certain part of the wall and trailed his fingers down what seemed to be a crevice in the wood. It slowly opened into a black darkness.  
"Damn, that boy's up to no good!" Takigawa turned around, and ran out of the base, despite the fact that he didn't know quite which room the boy was in.  
Akira had turned back to the camera with a proud look that was spreading onto his face. He smiled as if he were giving a performance. There was something eerie about the way he was behaving, as if he were about to share a dark secret.  
As Ayako watched from the screen, he gave a short bow, and walked into the wall.

ტThe Autumn Roomტ

Time stood still, and yet it moved along at a pace which she could not keep up with.

Her father was sitting with Kana on his lap, smiling widely as if he'd won the lottery. Actually, it was because they were expecting _her_ for dinner. The room was dead silent except for the baby's small burst of pleasant giggles every few minutes.

The doorbell rang, and Kana was immediately lowered to the ground. The girl heard voices float down the hall and enter the dining room, When the monster finally entered the room, she was wearing a mask.

She pinched Kana's thin cheeks and gave the young girl's sister a smile, the eyes of the mask narrowing._ Aya, it's good to see you again_.

Aya stared and stared and wondered. She couldn't understand why her father couldn't see. The exterior of this woman was the one that took care of her garden or went to work and came home late to her children, the typical person. But that was only a cover to hide her true character.

Can't you see? Aya wanted to scream at her father. Can't you see that Kana is flinching from the touch? That we're too afraid to speak?

Aya took her sister and left the room, refusing to have dinner. Later, though, she knew she would have to pay.

…

The last thing Akira remembered was stepping to the strange hole in the wall. Now, everything was dark and he felt as if his head would split into two. Had this been how Masako had felt earlier? Screaming and crying and pleading surrounded him. It was hell if he'd ever experienced it.

_You're not the one I want._

Something pushed him away with a force that snapped his head back and he fell out into a burst of blinding light. Suddenly, hundreds of visions which he couldn't make sense of ran through his head. Then his mind hit a wall and he slipped into darkness.

It took a moment of panting and blinking to regain some sense. How long had he been inside? Somehow, Akira forced himself to stand up. His vision was slow to catch up with his movements and his balance gave out on him; he landed in a heap upon the ground. Akira groaned in displeasure. He heard footsteps approaching and wished that they would quiet down or disappear, the sound was doing nothing to improve his bursting head.

…

The first thing the monk saw when he entered the room was the body of the fallen boy. He panicked at the sight. Takigawa hurried over and immediately kneeled over to help him up. But the boy swiped a hand at the monk and hauled himself up, using the wall for support.

"Oi, don't over do it -"

"What are you doing here?" The venom and confusion in the boy's voice was incredible.

Takigawa told himself to be patient. "Ayako and I came over a while ago, remember? You did a real stupid thing going into that…hole. Hey, can you stand up? Feeling dizzy?"

Goodness. The man was asking too many questions for him to register at the moment.

"Who are you?" Akira demanded, trying to wriggle out of the man's grasp again.

A sense of sudden realization trickled down the monk's spine, and he quickly changed positions so that the boy could see his face clearly. "Ta-ki-ga-wa. You recognize me, don' you?"

Akira's eyes narrowed. He ignored the man's question. "And what do you think you're doing in my house, Ta-ki-ga-wa-san?"

It had been the first time in hours where the monk's jaw was loosened by the influx of confusion. When the boy didn't respond by saying, "You caught me, it's a joke!", Takigawa groaned and slapped a hand over his eyes.

-Insert opening song-  
Chapter 5: Anamnesis

**The Next Day**

A long silence had ensued before Naru re-addressed Mai, his words making her face slowly fall into a look of disappointment and hurt.

"I thought I told you not to come back."

"I thought you said you didn't mind us coming to help out." She shot back.

Naru snapped his file shut, already showing signs of fatigue towards their argument. "I was referring to Takigawa-san. Unlike you, Takigawa-san can perform exorcisms and defend himself."

_This stuck up, self-loving, over-confident_ - Mai looked over to Lin, wondering if the man could be of any help to her. He continued typing on his keyboard, and Mai knew that he was trying as hard as possible not to get involved.

"If you want to help so badly, come over during the evening and take a nap on the couch."

Did he seriously think that was all she was worth? Mai stuttered incoherently and said the words that first came to thought. "This isn't your home!"

"I don't see what argument you're trying to make by pointing out the obvious."

"I actually came to see how Asou-kun was doing." She said, knowing he couldn't turn her away when she wanted to secure the safety of others. "I heard that he'd done something stupid and -"

"He's fine. Go home."

Maybe he could. She sighed deeply, a sad frown forming on her face. "But I want to help Naru. Why are you being like this? You said you appreciated my help before, but now you're acting like I'm a bother."

She couldn't see any reaction to this. Her emotions changed from sadness to anger, her fists clenching at her sides. But then she saw Naru's face, and her heart stopped. For a moment, it almost seemed like he would oblige and explain everything, looked as if he felt as pained as she did. But then he said nothing, which he noticed sent a string of nerves through her.

"Are there some details about the case that-"

Finally he shook his head; a solemn voice emerged, "Fine, do as you wish. If you want to help, Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san are at the base. Make some tea before you leave."

Mai felt tension in her shoulders. She guessed that there was another important use for her. Making him his damn tea. Deep down she knew that this wasn't true, but at the moment she couldn't help but think so. Anger made her especially hot-headed. She contemplated in just walking out, but decided against it.

She returned from the kitchens soon. The cup of tea, forlorn without its saucer, was set down harder than necessary upon the mahogany table. She began to leave.

"Thank you." He said it quietly, his voice emerging with a tone she'd never heard before.

Mai stopped in her tracks and spun back around, meeting eyes with him. Naru had said…a thank you?

However her lingering feelings of anger and…something else…caused her to lose sight of his 'more than just a thank you' reply. She couldn't see what he was truly saying at that moment.

Their eyes met, and Mai held it a second longer than she should have.

"It doesn't suit you." She finally said. "Don't push yourself Naru."

He didn't look up from his files, treating their conversation as something secondary. "This is what I get for my efforts. Didn't you always used to complain?"

"It's not fair for you to have taken me off guard like that!" Mai protested, both fists tightened by her side. Mou, what was with him today? He was in a much more talkative (as in argumentative) mood. "Are you trying to 'irritate' me away or something? Fine, fine. I understand!" Mai turned away, her arms crossed over her chest. Her brows were drawn together with irritation. "I'll solve this myself."

As soon as she was out of the room, Naru leaned back in his seat and clenched his fists, the angriest he'd been with himself in months.

...

They stared at him, and kept staring until the boy stood up with a frown.

"What am I, a rare sort of animal?" Akira crossed his arms. "You expect me to believe that I forgot all of my memories by walking into a wall?" He demanded this with a force that reflected his old self. Everything about the SPR and himself had been just…erased. That was the best word to describe it. He was forgetting his name and his memories as soon as he'd remember them.

Takigawa rubbed the back of his neck, completely bewildered. "It's a complete change in character, isn't it?"

That was the third time he'd said that. Akira clenched his fists to disguise any sign of visual shaking as he stared up to the man who stood in his path. Forcing as much determination into his gaze as he could encourage, he found himself momentarily winning.

"I…" Akira's voice hesitated, he could force himself to look stern, but something made him think that it was against his character. Instead he dropped his gaze. "Could you please tell me my name again?"

Ayako slapped both hands sharply against the boy's cheeks and stared into his eyes. "Asou." She said clearly and slowly as Takigawa shook his head behind her. "Asou Akira."

The boy fell back on his bed. "Asou…"

The more times he heard it, the more he felt like memories were starting to return. But right now, even the recollection of his way from the strange room to this 'base' was a hazy memory. Strangely, Akira's recollection of what had gone inside the hole was far clearer. It had started coming back to him as the minutes had passed, as his head had cleared from his headache. The unnerving memory of his mind being held by another _being_ sent shivers down his spine. He began to speak, not caring or even checking to see if the man or woman was listening to him. He spoke of the strange experience and of what he had seen flash through his head. He talked and talked until he couldn't remember any more.

Then his world fell dark, a sudden chill coming over his back, and he fell asleep.

...

John wondered just when, where and why Masako had learned to pick a lock. As they entered the back garden, he whispered a prayer of an apology.

"This way, John."

"H-hai."

Why couldn't he ever say no? Something about sneaking into their client's property was getting to him, and John didn't yet know what the reasons behind their actions were. He followed quietly, crouched over like a burglar and followed the medium staying a few feet behind her steps. His eyes darted back and forth to the window of the room Naru was at that moment. The young boss was like a spirit as well, the priest knew. He would always materialize at the place he was needed or where trouble was occurring. This made John uneasy.

He only spoke out when he noticed that they were going into the woods, away farther and farther from the house. There was a thin path that looked like it hadn't been treaded on for years. John hesitated when Masako started following it.

"Hara-san?"

She didn't respond and he thought that he hadn't spoken loud enough. He jogged up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hara-san? Where are we -"

When she turned around and looked at him, John could not see his reflection in her eyes. They were a dull dark color and seemed to look at nothing, yet stared straight into his pupils. Her half-lidded eyes and her partially limped over form suddenly gave away the situation. She was possessed. The outline of her figure wavered and he let go, momentarily stunned. A panic rose.  
As soon as his hand left her shoulder, Masako slowly turned back around and started taking rhythmic steps towards an unknown destination. She was possessed, John was sure of it. His first thought was to go back to the house and get someone but by then it already would be too late. It would be dangerous to loose sight of her. But if he were to force her…no, who knew what the spirit was capable of. He couldn't do anything, John had none of his needed materials for an exorcism.

He cupped his hands to project his voice and called out loudly. "Shibuya-san! Takigawa-san!" He waited a couple of seconds, and called out again. Nothing. Why did his voice sound so light as it traveled the air?

Masako was already farther ahead. She was going to soon disappear behind the trees. He realized that she had no intention of waiting for him. Knowing that Masako's safety came first, he started to follow her deeper into the woods, not knowing where they were headed.

…

"Eh?"

Takigawa took off the headphones that were connected to a monitor and raised his head. "What is it?"

Ayako looked at him, lowering the papers that were in her hands. She pulled at a strand of hair and turned around towards the windows. "I thought I just heard a sound from outside…"  
The monk raised an eyebrow. "It's just your imagination, probably a far off bird or something." He said, dismissing the miko's concern with a wave of his hand.

She listened on but didn't hear anything else that could confirm her suspicions. Takigawa tapped her shoulder and motioned her to come over next to him. "Anyway, I found something interesting. Come listen to this."

Reluctantly, she stood up and walked over to him. Ayako pressed one side of the ear phones to her head, while the monk did the same with the other side. He pointed to the screen and then pressed play.

The first few seconds of the recording was silent and undisturbed. That was natural, Ayako thought. It was nothing but a room with a closet. Oh. It was _that_ room. The realization made her uneasy. Not because there were most likely spirits inside the room, but because of the strange incidents that had already occurred within it. First Mai had had the odd encounter with the young girl, who'd disappeared into thin air. Then Akira had found the small hole and had undergone a sort of trauma - he was still asleep.

Ayako's thoughts were cut off when sound entered her right ear. It was hard to hear at first, and she couldn't tell what it was. She pressed the headphones harder onto the side of her head and unintentionally leaned forward a few inches. Takigawa had a grim look on his face, which told Ayako that he hadn't liked whatever he had heard. All the more to make her feel anxious.  
There it was again. It was a young girl, giggling. Static broke the noise, sending only parts and pieces of it into Ayako and Takigawa's ears as a strange mixture of sounds. It sent shivers down Ayako's spine.

A shrill scream. Someone was panting heavily, as if they were running away from someone, or something. Pacing, panting, a scream. Ayako's hand shot out to Takigawa's sleeve and her grip tightened, digging her nails into her palm. "I don't like this."

The static was growing worse when on the screen, a movement caught both their eyes. The wardrobe on the far right of the room shook and quivered, and suddenly all the noise vanished. Dead silence filled the room, as if it were holding it's breath to behold a unpleasant spectacle that was about to unfold.

"I haven't watched this far." Takigawa muttered under his breath. He connected a wire and said something to Lin behind his back. The man nodded in reply and turned to one of his own screens.

Slowly, one of its two doors swung open on its own accord. Ayako held her breath and Takigawa was pressing a number of buttons she wasn't paying any attention to…A hand shot out but fell, grasping at nothing but thin air. A body crumbled to the floor like dead weight. On the black and white screen filled with static, it was hard to tell what was really happening. But one thing was obvious. The body was starting to move.

It shook and straightened in sharp movements as if all of the body parts were nothing but joints being folded out. The effect was nauseating and disturbing. The thing had its arms spread out on the floor, desperately trying to get up but failing miserably. The legs wouldn't move, looking like they were paralyzed. Then it stopped everything else, and slowly began to raise its head.

_It knows_. Takigawa thought, gritting his teeth. _It knows we're watching it_. The eyes were going to be dull and dead he knew. But what he saw next was something that he would have never expected in a lifetime. The thing shivered once. When it finally looked straight into the camera, it was Mai looking up at them, smiling with recognition, blood smeared over her pale, sickly face.

…

It was when John thought that they would get completely lost that Masako stopped in her steps.

He would have ran into her if there hadn't been a low branch for him to take a sudden hold of. He watched her for a moment, wondering what was happening. They had been walking for the last ten minutes or so - for them to come to a sudden stop must have meant that they'd reached their destination.

Masako had her head still slightly lowered and with purposeful steps took a right turn. John sighed and followed, but within a minute saw that she had stopped again. In front of them was a large storage shed. It looked very old and unkempt - leaves littered the wooden roof and the door was loose on its hinges. Masako walked right in.

"Ah! Wait, Hara-san!"

His call fell on deaf ears. Taking slow steps, he followed Masako's footprints. Making sure that the door remained open, John adjusted his eyes to the dark, and walked in as well.

The storage was nothing like Asou's house. Every piece of furniture in the house had all been polished and kept tidy. The objects in the shed had no specific place it belonged to and was all piled on the floor or shoved onto shelves in a mess.

Why had the spirit led him and Masako here?

Perhaps exploring the place would give him some answers.

But there was another question that was nagging at him, one that he wouldn't be able to figure out until they returned to the base.

Why was this shed built so far into the woods?

John touched the surface of a nearby desk and immediately drew back his fingers, wiping off the thick and unruly dust from his hand. He sneezed into his elbow, trying not to get dust flying everywhere. Judging by the condition of the furniture and objects, the Asou family didn't know of this place. Or if they did, they didn't care. In fact, it looked as if the shed had been abandoned and untouched for years.

By now John's eyes had gotten used to the darkness. Using the feeble beams of light that entered through the few dull, yellow windows, John made his way to where Masako was standing. Nearly tripping on loose cords, the priest stumbled and ended up leaning against another smaller desk for support.

Masako swayed on her feet, then fell to the ground on her knees.

"Hara-san!" Before he could reach her, Masako had turned to face him, fear written on her pale face. The spirit had left her body. John smiled with relief, she seemd to be fine besides the fact that she was utterly confused.

"John," She whispered. "Where are we?"

…

When she finally recognized the girl's face, Ayako screamed.

She was immersed in the scene that was unfolding before her eyes. It was a morbid interest that kept her from turning away. Then everything was a blur, she could hear properly again without all of the screaming and Ayako suddenly found herself looking at the monk, his eyes burning into hers.

"Let go of me." She said in a shaky voice, trying to push his arms off her shoulders. She hated sounding so frightened. She took a deep breath and looked towards Lin.  
Takigawa pointed to the monitor beside him and addressed the Chinese man. "What the hell was that?"

There was no answer. Instead, Lin turned around in his chair and changed the topic. His calm composure told the monk that he knew something they didn't.

"Asou-san is awake. I have already called for Naru. If you would like to join the interrogation session, they will be in the downstairs office room."

Interrogation session. Sounded like the poor boy was going to be tortured. Poor boy? Ayako shook the thought away.

"But what about - what?" She gasped and drew back when she looked towards the screen. Everything in it was normal. There were no sounds she could hear, no opened wardrobe, and no Mai - if that thing really had been her.

"I hate stuff like this." She said with a shudder. "I'll stay here with Lin-san. Bou-san, you go to Naru."

"You sure?" the monk asked with a raised eyebrow of concern. He saw a faint tilt of Ayako's lips that was trying to resemble a smile.

"I'm fine. Go ahead. Who knows when the brat will fall asleep again."

_Besides_, she thought. _I have a conversation I want to have with Lin._ Questions that needed to be answered.

…

Mai opened the wardrobe with caution. It startled her to see that something was now in it, contrasted against the dark brown wood. There was a narrow bar across the inside of the wardrobe where clothes could be hung. Draped over them were…strips of cloth? Mai hesitantly reached forward and touched the objects gently. It moved to her touch with hardly a feel to it. No, it was something of satin. White satin with lace. Mai pulled it off of the bare wooden rod and held it up to the light.

Ribbons. They were hair ribbons for young girls. It was long and smooth, yet terribly folded and creased. Mai wondered what it was doing in the wardrobe, wondered who it belonged to. Her first thought was Akira's mother, but she had a nagging feeling that it wasn't. Perhaps the maid?

Mai looked down at the ribbons again. As she did so, she could feel the melancholy of the room trickled down her spine. _Strange_, she thought. _And I thought I'd be more afraid._

As she stood to leave, she slid the ribbons into her left pocket and closed the doors of the wardrobe.

Mai turned off the lights and shut the door - a second too soon to see the pale, white hand fall to the floor, reaching out for attention.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Chapter 6: Memento Mori


	7. Chapter 6 Memento Mori

ტThe Autumn Roomტ

It was the beautiful, pure white item trickling from the fingers that caught John's attention. He lightly blew on the painting, but to no effect. He sought out a dirty cloth from one of the nearby shelves and carefully, lightly, brushed away the dust. The result was not much of an improvement from a minute before, but now John was able to see faint lines. He imagined that the painting had once been full of color and life. Now the whole painting looked as if it was of no importance to anyone anymore. Leaning in a bit more closely, John suspected that the white was some sort of ribbon…the same thin and long strip of it was in the hair of another young girl. He carefully looked, and noticed that neither of the two young girls in the painting were smiling.

Masako, who had regained her normally calm composure after hearing about what had happened, was now exploring the shed with John, looking for anything that could be useful to the case. There had to be a reason why the spirit had lead them there.

She kept one sleeve pressed tightly against her lips, trying to breath with the minimal amount of air as possible. She'd kept sneezing and had been asked if she would like to wait outside for a while, but had refused John's offer. Masako had no idea why she had - it wasn't like her to crawl around dirty places, looking for clues when she had paranormal senses.

She slipped passed a table that she hadn't seen before and browsed through an old bookshelf. With half-hearted interest, she let her eyes wander. Honestly, when would all this - Masako stopped in her tracks with a sound of interest. "Hm?"

She lowered her sleeve a bit and reached forward. The item reminded her of a treasure box. The kind you buried with mementos and would dig up years later. Masako laid her fingers on the wooden box and furrowed her brows when she felt the light fuzziness of layers of dust. Using only two fingers, she pulled it down and quickly set it on the table beside her. It was light. She wondered if anything was even in it.

Masako carefully lifted the lid and set it to the side. Her violet eyes blinked with surprise at the contents. Photos. But something about them was off…

"John." She called out.

It was a moment before he answered her call. "Hara-san? Where are you?"

"This way." She said quietly in a monotone voice.

John turned and saw her. He followed her gaze to the box as he got closer. "What is that?"

"I'm not sure, but I thought that you should look at it…"

The priest's eyes were serious, a look that didn't suit him. "Hara-san, do you sense anything strange about this place?"

What was he asking all of a sudden? Come to think of it, Masako hadn't felt a thing since regaining her senses. She shook her head. "No. This shed holds no spirits of any kind. Quite the opposite of the Asou family's home."

"I see." With that, John pulled the box towards him and reached in it to take out a thin stack of photographs. Some were in black and white, though most of them were in color. The first one had a small tear in it that had completely taken out a person from the photo. John frowned. Masako leaned over to see better. The next one was the same - a similar rip. The fifth one was more disturbing. Someone had taken a ballpoint pen and scribbled out a face. It was a birthday picture. John thought that something looked familiar about the young girl sitting behind the large cake. The next was a black and white picture of a number of young men and women, and again one face had been scratched out.

Feeling as if he'd seen enough, John decided to put the pictures back. But his eyes caught sight of something else inside the box. He saw the missing pieces of each picture. The parts that had been ripped off were all of the same woman. She was smiling happily, not knowing that she was no longer part of the moments she'd posed for. After a second, John put the photos back into the box and replaced the lid. He felt as if he should keep a hold of it.

As they stood in the silence, neither of the two noticed the slight tremor that began to shake the walls - not before it was too late.

-Insert opening song-  
Chapter 6: Memento Mori

"The first two deaths involving this house were the daughters of a widower named Kawazoe Len. He remarried two years after his wife's death and moved to this house as soon as it had been built, saying that it was the perfect place to restart their lives." Lin laid down a photo of the family on the table and slid it over to Ayako. She took it and stroked one of her fingers against the image of the two dead girls. The older sister looked to be around sixteen, and her sister twelve. Neither of them were smiling.

"What were their names?" Ayako asked softly.

Lin answered immediately, indicating that he had memorized every detail he could find. "The older sister's name was Aya, and her sister was Kana. The younger girl had been found with bruised lines across her neck and the autopsy report indicated that she'd died of ligature strangulation. Her sister had been found in a lake - she'd committed suicide."

Ayako was silent. She raised her gaze and looked at Lin with hard eyes. "You saw that video earlier, didn't you?" She didn't wait for a reply. Instead she continued her string of questions.

"What was it? Why was Mai there in…that sort of state?" She was shaking, but didn't care at the moment. Ayako didn't know what would happen if she forced herself to stay calm.

Lin lowered his eyes, buying himself some time to answer Ayako's question. He lifted the cover of his notebook and took out four sheets of paper. He took the first one and gave it to the miko.

"Hana Inoue. She was the fist victim of the house after the Kawazoe sister's deaths. She'd died in her sleep, buried beneath four layers of sheets. Her windpipes had been crushed but without a fingerprint on her." Lin took the second sheet. "Saito-san was the second victim. Her family bought the house a year after Inoue's death. Saito-san was found in one of the rooms upstairs. It was one with no windows and with the light bulb broken. She'd died of heart failure." Lin frowned deeply. "Saito-san had never experienced heart troubles before, and she'd just been 15 years old.

Yoshida-san came with her father two years later, enticed by the low price of the house. The 17 year old daughter was found in a cupboard in the kitchen, her bones broken in several places where she had been forced inside the small space. Her father discovered her in the morning as he was making breakfast."

Ayako grimaced at the description and shuddered. She spoke as she recalled the information. "And the last one - three years after Yoshida's death - was Fujimoto Sakura. She was 14 years old and was found dead in a closet, her chest crushed and her nails torn off." The miko stood up, sliding the chair back with sudden force. "But this doesn't answer my question! Why was Mai's face seen in that video?"

Lin looked up at her with a steady gaze, not put off by her sudden yelling. "Each family experienced a sort of strange paranormal event before their daughters died. A strange painting on the wall that couldn't be washed off, a photo of their girl that they'd never taken with the number of days she had left to live…it was like an omen."

All the color in Ayako's face drained away. She fell back into her seat, her eyes shooting side to side at each piece of paper that was laid out in front of her. She'd seen Mai in the awful video. Mai had received this 'omen'.

She could see it now - the uneasy, nervous state that Lin was in. He was obviously worried, almost as much as she was. Ayako knew she didn't have to say the thought that was running through her mind, the horrible truth that she'd realized with Lin's explanation.

Mai was going to die. And judging by the pattern, Masako would be next.

…

It was John who felt the shaking first. Actually, he saw it before he felt it. There was a thin trail of sawdust that was falling from one part of the ceiling. Then they both heard a loud creak, the strain of old wood.

John reached down and grabbed a hold of Masako's wrist, giving her a light tug forward. The young medium followed his lead towards the door. It was getting dark outside, and the dull yellow windows were letting in hardly enough light to clearly see. The pair made their way through the large dark shed, towards the door.

There it was. John could see the trees only ten feet away. "Let's go, Hara-san."

"Hai."

A tremor. Both of them stopped at the sound. There was a groan within the shed as the shelves and tables began to shake. Masako turned around with a gasp when she heard glass landing on the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces. She began to feel faint.

"This isn't good." John knew this was rapping noises made by spirits. The pounding was getting louder. But there was no need to worry. The door wasn't far ahead and as long as they could make it out -

They were suddenly knocked off their feet by an unseen force. Masako landed hard, cutting her palms. John fell on his knees and coughed into his arm, looking to his left to see that Masako hadn't been seriously hurt. A shelf was starting to dangerous sway back and forth, in rhythm with the pounding.

"We have to run, Hara-san!"

She could hardly hear his voice. Her head hurt too much. The spirit was very upset about something…

"Hara-san!" She felt John's hands raising her to her feet. She heard him telling her to run. She nearly laughed at that. But at the next large shudder of the shed, she thought to hell with it, and ran.

They were getting closer and closer, almost there to see the evening sky. Almost…

Masako could breathe fresh air again. She stumbled forward a few steps and felt herself being steadied by a strong grip. She coughed, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. The cuts were starting to sting, and she could feel a sore spot on her cheek. Looking at John next to her, she saw that he was in no better shape.

Behind them, the rapping sounds quieted as the spirit left the area. The shaking soon came to a stop, and the pair was left alone in the silence once more. John's grip loosened on something that was pressed tightly against his chest. He let the wooden box slip away, and fall to the ground.

…

Mai sighed to herself as she poured herself a cup of tea. It was nice to make it for herself for once.

She was sitting at a small table located in front of the stove and refrigerator. The table was a mystery - Mai felt as if it had been randomly placed there. It was large enough for a family of four to eat at, but there was already a dining room twice the size of the kitchen…

She sipped her tea and shook her head. What did she think she was doing? There were far more important -

The shiver of someone watching grabbed her attention. Mai turned around to see no one there. Instead, her eyes fell upon her own reflection in a small mirror. It was shaped in an oval and had a small crack near the top of it. She suddenly felt sleepy looking at it. It was probably because of the warm tea. Yes, it was because of the warmth…

She didn't remember ever closing her eyes. But when she opened them, she was in complete darkness. In the blackness, sound came from every direction. Screaming, crying, laughing, scratching and pounding. Mai shivered, wrapping her arms around her. A hand lightly touched the side of her arm, and she flinched back in fear. However, instead of the ghostly figure she'd been expecting to see, her eyes were met with a warm gaze that she'd been missing for months.

"Naru…"

He smiled at her, but very briefly. "Mai, you must wake up. There are very strong spirits in this house and you can't be caught off guard." He looked at her with pure worry in his eyes, causing her heart to flutter.

Mai nodded, reaching for the comforting hand now on her shoulder. She blinked and brought her brows together when tears started to form. She wiped them away.

"I'm sorry."

Mai wondered why he was apologizing. She should have been thanking him that very moment.

But as she looked up, his figure grew faint and Naru disappeared before she could call his name. She was alone again, this time in complete silence. She was on her stomach for some reason and could feel a sort of constriction. When she tried to get up, Mai hit her head on a low ceiling. Confused, she reached to one side and felt a wall. "Eh?" The other side was blocked as well.  
She was in a tunnel. The only two ways she could move were forwards or backwards. With a shudder, she decided to follow the tunnel, wherever it might take her.

_This is just one of those dreams…_

Mai saw a light. She recalled with some unintended humor about never going towards a light at the end of a tunnel. However, as Mai continued forward, she realized that it wasn't a light but a white object. The thing was sort of round in shape and had a dull yellow tinge.

There was something sinister about the thing - Mai stopped crawling, her fingernails digging into her palms. Her breath got caught as her breathing became shallow and quick.

It was a skull. Detached from any other body part, the skull lay in the dark, the black holes where the eyes should have been staring straight at Mai. The little girl was there too - the one with no face. It stroked the skull and the skin around her cheek-bones stretched back as if she were smiling.

_I'll be seeing you soon._

Mai suddenly awoke, her cheek pressed against the cool table. As she tried to make sene of the dream and Naru's apology, she realized something. There was someone else in the kitchen that was watching her. Someone…

"Who's there?"

At first, she thought that it was Ayako because of the red hair. But something was wrong. Mai rubbed her eyes and sat up.

Beneath the sink, in the small gap between the bottom cupboard and floor, was a body forcefully wedged within it. Her arm looked broken. It was bent in an unnatural position and yet the fingers were moving in a frantic way, desperately trying to get herself out. The figure had her eyes wide open in unseen horror. Something pushed the girl farther in, and her movements came to a sudden halt.

Mai watched until she could no longer take it. She screamed and pushed back her chair and ran out, leaving behind her cold cup of tea. In the next instant, the girl with the broken body was gone.

…

Naru reviewed the brief notes he had made in his notebook. They'd gone over everything once. Naru had asked his questions and by doing so, had gotten all the information he could get.  
Akira had mentioned things about visions and a voice. The voice had said, _You're not the one I want_… Did the spirit have a new target?

Suddenly a sharp sound tore through the air. Naru stood from his seat, stalling for only a shocked moment. It had been Mai's scream. From downstairs.

He didn't wait as Takigawa called after him. He didn't slow down as he made his way down the stairs.

"Mai! -"

Something ran into him. Naru drew back but the girl hung on, tears running down her face and her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. It was Mai, and she was alright. Their argument from earlier that morning melted away and none of it mattered anymore. Unsure of what to do, he gently put on hand upon her shoulder. "It's alright."

"Mai!"

Takigawa and Akira were lightly panting from their short sprint but came to a full stop when they saw the young girl, pressed again her boss's body. Tears were streaming down her face, but she appeared to be unhurt.

"Oi, what happened?" Takigawa asked, taking a step closer.

Mai shook her head and spoke with a trembling voice.

"A dream. Just a bad dream."

…

It was silent after that. Strangely, Naru was asking no questions about her dream or even why she was still at the house - to which Mai was quite grateful. When he'd held her for those few minutes, his steady heartbeat had helped to calm down her erratically beating one. Now Mai could only watch his broad back as she followed him from behind. She just couldn't figure him out.

They entered the base and felt as if they were completely safe. As soon as Ayako saw Mai standing behind Takigawa and Naru, she made a beeline towards the young girl.

"Mai!" Ayako pushed Takigawa out of the way. The girl's eyes were slightly swollen, obviously she'd been crying. The miko could hardly hold back a sigh.

Mai shook her head, forcing a smile. "I'm fine Ayako. I just had one of those dreams again and -Masako? John? What happened?"

Takigawa put one hand through his hair. "When did you two get here? More importantly, are you guys okay?"

The priest offered Mai a small wave, but the medium held no emotion in her eyes. More than anything, she looked irritated. The pair had small cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. On the table behind John was a small box without its lid, the contents laid out beside it. Everyone was together again, but what had happened?

As expected, Naru took control of the situation and asked the questions. Everything that had occurred was shared. However, Ayako and Lin kept quiet about the little fact that they had discovered. They couldn't bring themselves to share it when Mai and Masako were both in the room. The two girls were shaken enough for the time being. After John told his story, he took the birthday picture in his hand and looked at it for quite some time.

"Maybe the spirit was angry that you saw the pictures." Mai suggested. She thought for a moment. "I have a feeling that I've seen the young girl before..."

John snapped his fingers. "From the painting! This girl was from a painting I saw in the shed."

"Kawazoe Kana." Naru said, "The first girl who died in this house. It could have been her who'd possessed Masako."

"Or _her_." All eyes turned to Akira. He was staring at the ripped off portions of the photos. He pointed a finger when he realized where he'd seen the woman. "She was in all of the visions I saw."

Masako raised an eyebrow. "Visions?"

"When the idiot walked into the wall." Takigawa answered.

Naru took one of the ripped off pieces, and observed the face carefully. She had been the stepmother of the Kawazoe sisters. Had she been the one to…

"What about my dream?" Mai asked. "Why did I see the skull in the tunnel?"

"Memento Mori."

"Eh?"

John shook his head. "Ah, that's just what it reminded me of. When a person sees a skull in their dreams, it's sort of like a reminder that all people eventually meet death."

Ayako stiffened in her seat. She and Lin exchanged quick glances. _Another warning?_

Naru had his fingers pressed against his chin in deep thought. "I would like to look at the 'hole'. Takigawa-san, please perform an exorcism in the room beforehand. And Matsuzaki-san, make protective charms for the wardrobe." It seemed to be far more dangerous than he thought.

…

The exorcism went without any trouble. Ayako was too frightened, though she wouldn't admit it, to place the charms herself, so Naru decided to do it when he would go into the room.

Ayako wouldn't allow Mai to go to the room with Naru and the others, and the young girl reluctantly agreed. Masako remained at the base with Mai, Ayako and Lin, feeling unwell from the houses's strong spirits. She hoped Naru knew what he was doing.

The four watched the monitor, following every move that was made. John was muttering something in front of the wardrobe to Takigawa. Naru was on one knee in front of the black hole, looking into it with a flashlight.

Mai started when Lin suddenly stood from his seat, reaching over to check the temperature. The screen changed to a mixture of colors - the four men showing their body heat in orange, yellow and red. Very quickly, everything around them was starting to turn a darker blue.

"A spirit is appearing!" Masako whispered.

Then suddenly, Akira started screaming.

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

To Be Continued…

* * *

Chapter 7: The Knife that Cried Blood

Thank you for the reviews everyone! Especially since I've been gone for so long --  
I was watching The Host -Korean- for the second time as I was typing this. My friends tell that I should like it because I'm Korean…but whatever. I like how the American was the only one brave enough to fight the monster though ;P

A little questionnaire! (I've already asked one person, but I wanted to see on a larger scale) Which story do you like better (style, plot, level of creepiness) - this so far, or whispering pages? Thanks a bunch! Well then, off to finish Chapter 8


	8. Chapter 7 The Knife that Cried Blood

AN: I know there are a lot of unanswered questions and confusions, but please be patient and all shall be revealed. Some of it will be cleared up in this chapter.

* * *

"Some houses are alive. If we're quite…if we listen…we can hear them breath. Sometimes in the depth of the night, we can hear them groan; it's as if they're having bad dreams. Past memories that are still haunting the rooms and halls come to life when we least expect it.

A good house comforts and cradles. A bad one fills us with instinctive unease. Bad houses hate our warmth, our humanness. That blind hate of our humanity is what we mean when we use the word 'haunted.'"

- From Rose Red, the movie

Recap:

John pulled the box towards him and reached in it to take out a thin stack of photographs. Some were in black and white, though most of them were in color. The first one had a small tear in it that had completely taken out a person from the photo. John frowned. Masako leaned over to see better. The next one was the same - a similar rip. The fifth one was more disturbing. Someone had taken a ballpoint pen and scribbled out a face. It was a birthday picture. John thought that something looked familiar about the young girl sitting behind the large cake. The next was a black and white picture of a number of young men and women, and again one face had been scratched out.

…

"The first two deaths involving this house were the daughters of a widower named Kawazoe Len. He remarried two years after his wife's death and moved to this house as soon as it had been built, saying that it was the perfect place to restart their lives." Lin laid down a photo of the family on the table and slid it over to Ayako. She took it and stroked one of her fingers against the image of the two dead girls. The older sister looked to be around sixteen, and her sister twelve. Neither of them were smiling.

"What were their names?" Ayako asked softly.

Lin answered immediately, indicating that he had memorized every detail he could find. "The older sister's name was Aya, and her sister was Kana. The younger girl had been found with bruised lines across her neck and the autopsy report indicated that she'd died of ligature strangulation. Her sister was found in a lake - she'd committed suicide."

…

"I'm sorry."

Mai wondered why he was apologizing. She should have been thanking him that very moment.

But as she looked up, his figure grew faint and Naru disappeared before she could call his name. She was alone again, this time in complete silence. She was on her stomach for some reason and could feel a sort of constriction. When she tried to get up, Mai hit her head on a low ceiling. Confused, she reached to one side and felt a wall. "Eh?" The other side was blocked as well.

She was in a tunnel. The only two ways she could move were forwards or backwards. With a shudder, she decided to follow the tunnel, wherever it might take her. _This is just one of those dreams…_

Mai saw a light. She recalled with some unintended humor about never going towards a light at the end of a tunnel. However, as Mai continued forward, she realized that it wasn't a light but a white object. The thing was sort of round in shape and had a dull yellow tinge.

There was something sinister about the thing - Mai stopped crawling, her fingernails digging into her palms. Her breath got caught as her breathing became shallow and quick.

It was a skull. Detached from any other body part, the skull lay in the dark, the black holes where the eyes should have been staring straight at Mai. The little girl was there too - the one with no face. It stroked the skull and the skin around her cheek-bones stretched back as if she were smiling.

Mai awoke, her cheek pressed against the cool table. There was someone else in the kitchen that was watching her. Someone…

"Who's there?"

At first, she thought that it was Ayako because of the red hair. But something was wrong. Mai rubbed her eyes and sat up.

Beneath the sink, in the small gap between the bottom cupboard and floor, was a body forcefully wedged within it. Her arm looked broken. It was bent in an unnatural position and yet the fingers were moving in a frantic way, desperately trying to get herself out. The figure had her eyes wide open in unseen horror. Something pushed the girl farther in, and her movements came to a sudden halt.

Mai watched until she could no longer take it. She screamed and pushed back her chair and ran out, leaving behind her cold cup of tea. In the next instant, the girl with the broken body was gone.

…

On the table behind John was a small box without its lid, the contents laid out beside it. Everyone was together again, but what had happened?

As expected, Naru took control of the situation and asked the questions. Everything that had occurred was shared. However, Ayako and Lin kept quiet about the little fact that they had discovered. They couldn't bring themselves to share it when Mai and Masako were both in the room. The two girls were shaken enough for the time being.

Akira's eyes widened with recognition when he took a look at the photos. He pointed a finger when he realized where he'd seen the woman. "She was in the visions I saw!"

Masako raised an eyebrow. "Visions?"

"When the idiot walked into the wall." Takigawa answered.

Naru took one of the ripped off pieces, and observed the face carefully. She had been the stepmother of the Kawazoe sisters. Had she been the one to…

"What about my dream?" Mai asked. "Why did I see the skull in the tunnel?"

"Memento Mori."

"Eh?"

John shook his head. "Ah, that's just what it reminded me of. When a person sees a skull in their dreams, it's sort of like a reminder that all people eventually meet death."

Ayako stiffened in her seat. She and Lin exchanged quick glances. _Another warning?_

Naru had his fingers pressed against his chin in deep thought. "I would like to look at the 'hole'. Takigawa-san, please perform an exorcism in the room beforehand. And Matsuzaki-san, please make protective charms for the wardrobe." It seemed to be far more dangerous than he thought.

…

The four watched the monitor, following every move that was being made. John was muttering something in front of the wardrobe to Takigawa. Naru was on one knee in front of the black hole, looking into it with a flashlight.

Mai started when Lin suddenly stood from his seat, reaching over to check the temperature. The screen changed to a mixture of colors, the four men orange, yellow and red. Very quickly, it was starting to turn blue.

"A spirit is appearing!" Masako whispered.

Then suddenly, Akira started screaming.

And all hell broke loose.

ტThe Autumn Roomტ

The wardrobe began to shake. Violently.

It was as if the wooden furniture had suddenly began to breathe life and awaken. John, standing closest to the wardrobe, felt a cool breeze brush against his cheeks. He found it odd that he would feel anything in the windowless room, when he heard a low sigh. It was someone breathing…

Takigawa had already begun his chanting, and it seemed to be working enough to get everyone back on their feet. An ominous presence filled the room. The monk turned and cursed loudly when he realized that the spirit was a lot stronger than any of them had anticipated.

Seconds passed as they all held their breaths. Naru motioned towards the door, signaling that it was time that they left. Mai and Ayako were still watching from the base.

The wardrobe slowly opened.

And the screen went blank.

-Insert opening song-

Chapter 7: The Knife that Cried Blood

"Naru!" Mai knew it was useless of her to yell at the blank screen that now reflected her own, fearful face. She turned with panic to Lin.

"What do we do?"

All of them were momentarily too shocked to say or do anything. The screen in front of them remained blank, filling them up with dread.

"I'll go look,it might be too dangerous for anyone else."Lin got up from his seat and began to leave the base, ordering everyone to remain where they were, but was stopped mid-way across the room when the door suddenly burst open.

The four men who'd caused so much worry was back in the base, safe and sound. Takigawa wasout of breath and supporting John. Ayako quickly went to them and helped the American exorcist take a seat on the couch.

Mai felt as if she could have fallen to her knees with relief. Moments passed as the SPR members caught their breaths.

"What happened?"

"We aren't really sure." Takigawa replied, rubbing the side of his face to wipe away the cold sweat. "But we didn't plan on staying long enough to find out."

"Luckily the disruptions weren't too violent." Naru said. "We were able to get out before anything could happen. Takigawa-san created a barrier so no spirits could escape the room."

The information gave relief to the women. Everyone being together at the base was a comforting feeling.

"So what are we going to do now?" This was Lin, his question mainly directed at Naru.

"We need to get our facts straight. Prolonging this case may become too dangerous for us." Mai noticed how calm and collected her boss was.

The teen took off his jacket and hung it over a chair as he walked over to the main table. On it was the box of pictures John and Masako had found and documents of all the deaths that had occurred in the house. His long fingers shifted through the different pages and picked out a single one. Kawazoe Kana. The first death to have occurred years ago.

Mai leaned over to look at the picture. As soon as her eyes met with the photographed ones, she gasped and brought a hand to her lips.

"What is it Mai?" Takigawa quickly asked.

"I've - I've seen her before."

"Where?" Naru's authoritative voice was strong and calm. Completely different from everyone else's and the one she wanted to depend on at the moment.

"In my dream a few times. Once while I was visiting my mom's grave, again at school and…" Mai shifted her eyes in thought. _Possibly the faceless ones from my dreams_

They waited for the continuation of her realization, but was distracted by a flicker of light over head. All heads snapped up, expecting rapping noises to follow. Instead, footsteps could be heard. They weren't running but walking slowly making _clack clack _sounds with each step.

Mai tried to chuckle but it came out as a strangled foreign sound. "Asou-kun, you didn't tell us that your parents were home."

She heard a gulp from beside her. When the girl looked at him she could see a bead of sweat going down the side of his neck. "They aren't. My mom and dad are out at the city right now. I don't expect them until afternoon tomorrow."

"Besides, none of us heard the front door opening or closing," John pointed out.

Mai shuffled closer to Takigawa and asked openly. "Do you think it could be a burglar?"

"That could be the case." Naru said. "This house is detached from the city and would be quite easy to rob without getting caught."

"But…" Ayako said. "With the lights on and the eight of us in here…I don't think anyone would take such a risk."

Mai opened her mouth to offer another cause of the sounds when she was interrupted.

"A serial killer maybe?" Akira said with light humor.

Unfortunately, for him, it was ill-timed and all the occupants of the room glared at him one way or another. Mai did her best to keep her sharp words from being said. Looking at Akira, she could see that he was just as spooked as anyone else. And he felt as if he was being pushed into a corner.

"What, you guys scared or something?" he let out a snort. "Don't you guys do this for a living? What the hell are you all shivering about? If you have the paranormal powers you say you have, then -"

There was the swivel of a chair and now Lin was staring at the boy as well. The older man was much more intimidating that Naru when he held anyone's eyes. Akira raised an eyebrow but shut his mouth.

"There is no way we could know everything about the paranormal world. Each case is a single scenario from a thousand possibilities and the level of risk involved can range vastly." Lin paused to allow Akira time to remember the events that had taken place inside the house the last few days. "Until we can figure out more details and facts, it can never hurt to take extra precautions. Please refrain from making rash comments."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Naru was glancing at his assistant through half-lidded eyes as if he were used to such reprimands, but no one else had ever heard such a tone from the man. To Akira, who'd never worked with SPR, Lin's use of polite speech somehow made the warning sound like a threat. Not the slightest bit discreet. Mai shivered.

There was some fire in Akira's eyes, but he thought it best to answer succinctly. "I will."

The older man nodded in approval and turned back to the computer he'd been typing at. But instead of continuing his previous job, he seemed to be thinking deeply.

Following the awkward silence was a small cough.

"Listen. They've stopped." Masako's small voice was slightly shaking. The SPR members and Akira realized that she was right. The lights were also no longer flickering.

But no one felt any safer. Too occupied with the previous conversation, no one had paid attention to which way the footsteps had gone.

Mai met eyes with Naru. "How was Kana-chan killed?"

It surprised him that her mind was still functioning clearly in such circumstances. The girl kept talking.

"Like I said, I've seen her in my dreams a few times. I think it could be her spirit in the house. It could have been her footsteps upstairs - that would explain the flickering lights."

"Sounded too heavy." Takigawa muttered unconvinced, shaking his head. "More like an older teen or adult."

Naru answered Mai directly. "She was found strangled in her room. It was after their mother had died and their father remarried. Shortly after Kana's death her sister, Aya, committed suicide."

"Because she grieved her younger sister's death?" Ayako asked.

"Or because of self-guilt, we can't be sure why." Naru replied.

"The reason behind the suicide could be the cause of everything then." Akira spoke up again. He was back to his cocky self again.

"Possibly."

John and Masako exchanged glances.

"Naru." The medium called out.

John reached into the box and pulled out the photos, spreading them out on the table. "So then this woman was their stepmother?"

Naru nodded in confirmation.

Mai couldn't help but think that the woman looked quite kind. She was dressed neatly with shapely earrings in each photo, someone who cared a lot about looks. Her face was egg-shaped - a round head with a thin, nicely shaped chin. The woman's pencil-lined eyebrows that hovered over attractive narrow eyes made her look somewhat surprised.

"What was her name?" Takigawa asked.

"Matsumoto Reiko." Naru said.

_Thump._ The sound of something or someone dropping to the floor.

Heads snapped up again. They could hear the footsteps again but this time they were moving at a pace a bit faster than a walk.

_Clack Clack Clack Clack _

They listened intently. The lights began to flicker again. The multiple computer screens that showed the different halls and rooms began to flicker off one by one. Mai's breathing got heavier, feeling as if the air in her lungs were being squeezed out.

The house went black and there was silence once more.

…

Mai closed her eyes, but there was no difference from when she had them opened. The darkness was swelling into the room and even after a few minutes of absolute stillness, her eyes could not adjust. She waved a hand in her face. Nothing but the wind she'd created on her cheeks, making her realize how hot she was even in a t-shirt and skirt.

It wasn't just the sudden absence of light. It was more of a black veil that had been draped over them. There were no sounds beside their own breaths.

"What is this?" Ayako whispered loudly. There was the sound of rubbing hands against cloth. "This house is so _creepy_."

"Can anyone see anything?" This was Akira. The SPR members could hear him stumbling around, looking for a wall. There was the sound of a camera stand falling over.

_What do you think? _Mai thought. _Of course we can't see anything!_

Mai felt soft fabric brushing across her upper arm. She took hold of Masako's hand and held it tightly. Even though she'd been standing still, Mai felt as if she's spun in circles and had lost her sense of direction.

"Okay." Akira had reached the wall and was now following it until he'd reached the window. He drew the curtains and tried to open them but cursed after a quick rattle.

"They're locked!"

The statement that was said with surprise sounded ridiculous.

"Shouldn't they lock from the inside?" Takigawa asked.

"Yeah but…the locks are gone." He sounded stunned.

"Gone?" Ayako demanded.

"As in not here!" He yelled, finding the miko's question irritating. Akira pounded his fists against the glass but it gave no more than a slight shake. He let out a deep breath and said, "Someone standing by the table bring me a chair."

John, who's hand was resting on top of the table answered politely and, careful not to fall over, handed Akira a wooden stool.

"Get back." He told the Australian priest. "Okay, and -"

The sound of impact sounded. Akira stumbled a bit and stood back to look at the damage. A collage of spider webs had appeared on the glass. The image seemed to give Akira a sense of pleasure. He was in control.

"Just a couple more hits and we'll have a way out."

"But this is the second story." Mai reminded him, pulling Masako forward with her. "Even if we were to get out, it wouldn't be without broken body parts."

However, the aspect of broken bones didn't seem to disturb Akira any. He swung and Mai flinched. The creaking of glass sounded as the cracks deepened and spread.

_Bang!_

Another hit. A small hole appeared. Akira was panting now from fatigue and a strange excitement that had begun to grow in his chest. He lifted the stool again and sung down.

But there was no shattering of glass or the rush of a cool draft entering the room.

Everyone stared at the window with disbelief.

It was back to its original self with nothing but small cracks in it, identical to the ones Akira had made with his first swing.

"_Shit_." Akira spat out. He dropped the stool and sat down on it.

"Calm down," Naru said sharply.

"We need to call for help." Ayako said suddenly. It seemed like such an obvious solution that she felt as if she could laugh.

"And who bets that the phone lines will be cut too?" Akira said bitterly.

Mai's turned cold at his words. But… "We should still try."

"Staying in this darkness is starting to become unbearable." Masako whispered.

There were footsteps in the room, but no one knew who it was.

"Don't move on your own!" Naru's sharp voice cut through to everyone.

"I'm here with Masako," said Mai.

"Yep," Akira said.

"I'm okay." Ayako said.

"Here." John said.

Lin let out a deep sound of confirmation.

Silence.

"Takigawa-san?"

…

What the hell was going on?

At first,Takigawa wasn't sure if he was still alive.

He had to be. His heart was beating almost painfully against his chest - his breath echoed in the dark hallway into which he'd been sucked. If it really was the hallway.

Takigawa had wanted to go to the window that Akira was standing next to but had instead somehow ended up leaving the room. Where ever he was, there was complete silence and darkness. Maybe he was unconcious. That would explain the darkness. But he opened his eyes and the darkness remained.

Takigawa hated to feel so helpless, but he was a blind man stumbling around. The air that surrounded him felt different, colder.

But if he'd just left the room, then wouldn't the others be able to hear him?

"Hey!" He yelled out. No one responded.

He rubbed a hand through his hair and stood still.

_Get a grip, Takigawa!_

The spirits of the house sure liked to screw with them. The monk breathed in deeply, trying to calm his nerves. The silence, the stillness, the not knowing why or what was getting to him. He sould be trying to get back to the base and meet up with the others again. Instead, he stood frozen, contemplating.

Contemplating and becoming dizzy. He realized that he was breathing too deeply. He shut his mouth and began to breath through his nose.

His sense of direction was screwed upfrom being in the dark for too long. But while he'd sill been in the base, Takigawa was absolutely sure that he hadn't moved around enough to turn 180 degrees to face the door. There was no way he'd walked out willingly. If the haunted aspects of the situation were the cause of his sudden isolation, then he cursed them all.

What was he going to do now?

The monk listened carefully and made sure that no one was calling for him before moving to his far right and reaching out to touch a wall. His hand met a door. Tracing it, Takigawa found that it was of simple design, unlike the one that opened up to the base. He opened it anyway (he needed to look for light first) and cautiously entered, half expecting some madman, trap or ghost to jump out at him.

Before he could walk in, he heard something.

A voice. A song. A child. Humming a slow, sad tune.

_Hmm hmm hmmm_

…

This was stupid.

Completely, utterly, stupid.

Mai could find no other words to describe it all. Sure, a wider search of the vocabulary spectrum might help make the description more colorful, but she was content to curse stupidity.

She was lost. In her own dream.

How she'd managed that was beyond her understanding. When had she even fallen asleep? Mai found herself standing in the hallways of Akira's home, unable to recognize any of the doors or turns. Naru wasn't showing up as usual and it didn't seem like he would any time soon. So without anything to do, Mai reached for the closest door.

It was locked. Frowning, she tried another one. Locked too. She walked down the hallway a short ways and reached out for one with a black knob. It creaked open, the smell of old books filling her nose. She searched for a light switch. Finding none where it should have been, she reached into the air and walked around. Hanging down from the ceiling was a string and she pulled. Wonderful (though dull) light exposed the room. But in raising her head, Mai wished that she'd just chosen to remain in the darkness.

There was blood seeping through the opposite wall. She could hear screaming, groaning, the sound of something embedding itself into the wall…

She turned to run out but was stopped by a figure. Startled, Mai gasped and fell down clumsily. "Ah, you're…"

It was the maid, but no longer wearing the black dress. It was the figure of a normal 17 year old girl. Her face could be described as hollow and tired, one that was filled with remorse.

"I want to show you something." The girl said simply. She looked down at Mai with dead eyes.

The dark haired girl turned and began to walk.

Mai slowly got up and followed.

* * *

_To Be continued..._

* * *

Chapter 8: In the Dark

AN: My god I've updated. And I'm done with college apps, SATs - the hard bits of senior year!

Please review! I'll update much sooner!


	9. Chapter 8 Into the Darkness

Thank you so much to those who'd reviewed my last chapter! Happy reading, and Happy 2009!

-The Autumn Room-

She was lost. In her own dream.

How she'd managed that was beyond her understanding. When had she even fallen asleep? Mai found herself standing in the hallways of Akira's home, unable to recognize any of the doors or turns. Naru wasn't showing up as usual and it didn't seem like he would any time soon. So without anything to do, Mai reached for the closest door.

It was locked. Frowning, she tried another one. Locked too. She walked down the hallway a short ways and reached out for one with a black knob. It creaked open, the smell of old books filling her nose. She searched for a light switch. Finding none where it should have been, she reached into the air and walked around. Hanging down from the ceiling was a string and she pulled. Wonderful (though dull) light exposed the room. But in raising her head, Mai wished that she'd just chosen to remain in the darkness.

There was blood seeping through the opposite wall. She could hear screaming, groaning, the sound of something embedding itself into the wall…

She turned to run out but was stopped by a figure. Startled, Mai gasped and fell down clumsily. She stared for a few minutes and found the figure to be familiar.

"Ah, you're…"

It was the maid, but no longer wearing the black dress. It was the figure of a normal 17 year old girl. Her face could be described as hollow and tired, one that was filled with remorse.

"I want to show you something." The girl said simply. She looked down at Mai with dead eyes.

The dark haired girl turned and began to walk.

Mai slowly got up and followed.

Chapter 8: Into the Darkness

_Hmm hmm hmmm_

The haunting voice echoed all around him. It was faint, but clear. Takigawa had a hand on a door knob, half-tempted to just walk in without paying attention to the humming. He knew following it would bring him nothing but more trouble. The house was just trying to mess with him.

With a firm nod, he swung the door in front of him open and glanced inside. He saw nothing but darkness. Takigawa cautiously called out but received no response. Without bothering to investigate the room any further, he closed the door and moved on. In the process of making his way down the hallway, he tripped over his own feet. The monk cursed under his breath and stopped in his tracks.

_Okay, look for a source of light_. He thought to himself. It could get him out of there sooner. There had to be flashlights, lighters, matches, something in one of the rooms. _Then I'll focus on locating the base. _Having a plan in mind calmed him down. It gave him the sense of control and kept him sane in the foreboding darkness.

_Hmmm hmm hmmmm_

Light footsteps sounded overhead, running down a hallway over Takigawa's head and passing by. The humming increased in volume until it was a shrill scream, and then died down as the footsteps ran away. The floorboards creaked. The monk's head shot up. He stopped and listened, but there were no more sounds. There was no third story in the house. Perhaps an attic? A wandering spirit or tied down soul could be the cause of the sounds.

It didn't sit well with him that the way he was headed was the way the footsteps had disappeared to.

Takigawa waited a moment before adding onto his list: _Find the source of the humming_.

…

"How's she doing?" Akira asked.

"Still asleep." Ayako answered. She silently brushed away a strand of hair off of Mai's sweaty forehead. The younger girl reacted to the touch and stirred in her sleep.

Akira frowned and rubbed a hand through his hair. A few minutes earlier, Mai had suddenly fallen to the floor and wouldn't respond to their calls or attempts to wake her. She seemed to be sleeping for now. However, the soft gasps she emitted and the way she creased her brows together had everyone concerned.

About 20 minutes had passed since Takigawa had vanished. Looking for light was their first priority. Naru, John, Lin and Akira had begun to blindly search for candles or lighters after Mai had fallen over. They'd given up on the hopes that the lights would eventually turn back on.

"Is it the spirits' fault that there's no reception here?" Ayako asked. She tapped her cell phone against her leg a few times. It wouldn't even turn on.

"It is possible that the spirits in this house are causing all of our equipment to dysfunction." Naru explained from the far right side of the room. "Even our flashlights are failing to work."

"Dammit," Akira muttered to himself. "I know there were some candles my dad kept in one of these drawers."

"Let me help you." John said politely, blindly walking over and getting to his knees. He found a drawer, pulled it out from the desk and carefully rummaged through the contents.

Naru and Lin searched through another desk on the other side of the room. Minutes passed with nothing but the sound of rusting papers and wood knocking against wood. The sounds had an almost calming effect.

"There are a few presences in the house." Masako whispered to Ayako as the men were searching. "But one that really stands out. It's the same as the one that briefly appeared with the footsteps. Only stronger."

Naru overheard the medium and stopped his search. "Is it close by?" He asked.

A pause. "Yes. Very close. But I feel no malice from it."

"That's good," Ayako said. "At least Bou-san won't be in danger for the time being."

"Let's hope that'll be the case until -"

"Here they are! I found a lighter and a candle!" Akira suddenly yelled out with triumph. The news lifted everyone's spirits within seconds. "Hey John-san, if you could hold this…"

There were several sparks before the lighter gave a flicker and there was finally light in the room. Akira quickly lit the candle and held it in front of him, leading himself and John back to the center of the room where Ayako was with Mai and Masako. Though it only lit up a small portion of the room, it was much more comforting now that everyone could see where everyone else was.

"Thank goodness." Ayako sighed.

"Is that the only one you could find?" Lin asked.

Akira nodded. "I knew there was one spare here. The others are in my dad's investigation room."

Naru brought a hand to his chin in deep thought. Would it be necessary to get the other candles? The one they had wasn't new; it would last for only half a day. Should they wait until dawn? Naru guessed that the house would remain dark even when sunlight would surround it.

"Asou-san," Naru said, "Where is your father's room?"

"Down the hallway, first door to the right." Akira shrugged. "I could go and -"

_Sssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_

All heads turned towards the sudden sound, static emitting from one of the on the four shelves next to Lin's desk. The sound grew in volume and a television screen came to life. It showed a mess of black, grey and white. Naru and Lin began to slowly approach the malfunctioning equipment. The television flickered for a few seconds and with a sharp screech, a hallway was displayed on the screen.

Naru neared it first and stared. It was a hallway that one of their night-cams was capturing. He could see down the whole corridor, each door positioned on either side looking old and menacing.

"W-what is it?" Akira asked loudly. "What's it showing?"

"A corridor." Lin answered. "If I remember correctly, it's the one furthest away from this room."

"Lin."

The man obediently turned at the sound of his boss's voice. There was a person at the far end who'd just turned the corner. The dark colors made it hard to make out who the figure was. Without a doubt, it was moving cautiously forward. Naru leaned in closer to the screen. A few more steps…

"It's Takigawa-san." Naru announced.

Ayako gasped. "Is he okay?"

Naru looked back at the miko. "He doesn't seem to have any physical injuries. He's out there, wandering the halls."

Sighs of relief filled the room. Naru turned back and tried to get Lin's computer to turn on, but without success. He was tapping at the mike which connected to the other camera when Ayako let out a sudden start.

"What's wrong Matsuzaki-san?" Naru demanded.

A light ring, soft and shrill as a bell, answered him. The miko's cell phone was receiving a call. When she checked the screen, she froze. Literally froze: she didn't move a muscle. She looked from the screen and back to her phone.

Ayako raised her cell and Naru looked. He froze too.

…

Takigawa cursed when he felt the wall come to an end. This was the third time he'd had to go around a corner. None of the doors he'd felt or opened had been the ones to the base. Was it possible that he'd accidentally skipped over it? That wasn't likely. He'd made sure to run his hand along the walls as he'd walked on. The hallway was narrow enough that he could stretch both arms out and touch both sides.

Well, all he could do was keep going. Takigawa had an uncomfortable feeling that told him he'd not come across the same hallway twice. It was like the house was growing, taking him further away from the base. But what else could he do but continue, go in circles? If he were to be stuck in the house forever, he would go mad from the darkness first.

Takigawa had walked a few feet forward when a faint sound made him stop. He took one arm down and pressed up against one of the walls, breathing as softly as possible. An eternity of silence seemed to pass by. Just when he was about to start walking again, he heard it again. It wasn't the humming from before, or the footsteps. It wasn't a sound that a person could make.

_Beep…..beep…beep_

It was coming from somewhere in front of him. There was a light thumping and then a voice called out his name.

_"Takiga...san."_ Then louder, "_Takigawa-san? If you can hear me, please keep walking forward."_

The monk sucked in a breath when he recognized the voice. It was such a sudden bit of hope that he forgot all else but to get to the source of the sound. Takigawa spread his arms out again and began to walk quickly down the hall.

_"Takigawa-san, stop."_

He did, and called out Naru's name. Nothing. Then he was hit with realization. _Of course, a camera that we set up the other day._ If so, Naru's earlier command had been from the fact that he would have run into the camera if he'd continued walking. Takigawa kneeled down and slowly reached out in front of him. His fingers touched the warm metal and let out a breath. Calmly, he reached to the sides and found a small mike. He pressed a button and spoke into it.

"Oi, Naru?"

_"...I remember clearly telling everyone not to move after the blackout."_

Takigawa brought his brows together in annoyance. "Thanks for caring about my well-being. For your information, I didn't move an inch. When I called out for you guys, I realized that I was alone in a hallway. Thank god I came this way. I thought that I was gonna be wandering around here forever -"

_"Takigawa-san, you aren't very far from the base."_

"Seriously?" The monk asked. His situation was getting better by the minute.

_"We found a candle so we will be able to get you."_

"That's great! Just…No, wait. Don't do that." Takigawa said quickly. "It would be bad if another one of us were to get lost somewhere. Just tell me how to get there. I'll figure it out."

Takigawa realized that it wasn't like Naru to risk anything. Then why come get him if it meant that the others could get into trouble?

Few seconds of silence. _"…Takigawa-san, do you have your phone with you?"_

Takigawa raised an eyebrow at the random question. He felt himself go stiff when he realized that Naru sounded tense, on-edge.

"Just a second." He said slowly. He reached into all the pockets he had on him, but found them empty. Takigawa turned back to the mike and shook his head in front of the camera. "No, I'm pretty sure I left it back at the base. Or I dropped it while I was wandering around in the dark…why?"

There was a pause. At first, the monk thought that line had been cut off, but he could hear light whispers from the other end.

"…Naru?"

_"I'm sorry Takigawa-san, but you'll have to stay there for a while longer."_

"What? Why?" The monk began to feel fear, anxiety filling him up. The relief he'd experienced earlier was quickly draining away. "Naru, did something happen?"

_"…Matsuzaki-san received a call on her cell-phone the same time we saw you on the screen. The call came from your phone. Apparently, she's having a conversation with another Takigawa-san right this moment."_

…

Naru didn't know what to do. He looked from the screen and back to Ayako, who had put her phone on the table in front of her.

_"What the hell do you mean Ayako's talking to me? I'm right here! You can see me right? Naru, you -"_

Naru didn't answer. He switched off the mike and walked over to the phone.

_"Hey, why aren't you guys responding?" _It was without a doubt Takigawa's voice. A chill wend down Naru's spine.

"What's going on?" Ayako asked, her head going back and forth from the phone to Takigawa on the screen.

"Who's the real one?" Akira thought out-loud.

Naru picked up the phone. "Takigawa-san, where are you?"

_"In a room."_ He replied. _"I was wandering around for a while when I heard footsteps overhead._ _I thought it'd be too dangerous to blindly wander around."_

Naru didn't respond. He pressed a hand against the phone to block out his voice and looked at everyone else. The candle light dangerously flickered.

"Would Bou-san be afraid and lock himself up like that?" Masako whispered.

"Or dumb enough to stumble around in the dark?" Ayako shot back. She immediately looked at Masako with an apologetic face.

Naru thought for a moment and finally handed the phone back to Lin. "Keep talking to him, hopefully we'll be able to figure something out." He didn't want it to come down to interrogation. But for now, it seemed as though there was no other option. Mai was still unconscious and Akira had no abilities what-so-ever. It would be too risky for John or Lin to leave the base now.

Just as Naru re-connected the mike, he noticed that someone else was behind Takigawa. It was a strange figure, small and pale. There was a sharp sigh from Masako as she fell to her knees. Ayako called out to her and Akira and John went over to help her. The flame from the candle violently wavered.

"Masako!"

"Hara-san."

Naru spoke into the mike. "Takigawa-san, do you feel a presence?"

_"What?…no."_

That wasn't good.

_"Crap, do you see a spirit through the screen? Where is it?" _

Naru could see the monk take his hand off the mike and press them together in case he needed to start his warding chant. Perhaps this really was the real one…

"Lin, ask that Takigawa-san if he senses any spirits nearby."

The Chinese man did so, and looked back at his boss with a shake of his head. "He says that there is nothing."

"Ask him to describe the room that he is in. Perhaps we might know it."

A pause. Lin had a short conversation with the man on the other line. "He can't see anything, but felt around. It's a small room with a bed, large carpet and no windows."

Naru looked towards the others, but they shook their heads. No one recognized the description of the room.

"Shibuya-san." John said slowly, meaningfully. "What if…this is a trap?"

The thought floated in the air, as everyone realized that it was a possibility.

"A trap?" Ayako echoed.

"You mean…to lure us out?" Akira asked.

The priest nodded. "Or both Takigawa-sans might be illusions, distracting us from something else."

It was possible. Too dangerous to act rashly.

"The air is so thick." Masako said, the first sentence she'd uttered in a long while. She sounded tired, and the yellow light of the candle worsened her complexion. "There is more than one spirit in the house, but one that stands the most…it's not pleasant." Ayako leaned over and rubbed the young girl's shoulders. She shifted Mai so that the girl was resting her head in her arms on the table.

"You should lie down." Ayako said.

Masako shook her head. "It's hard to breath."

"Naru." Lin called.

Just when the teen was about to ask Masako another question, his attention was turned back to the screen. Takigawa was now facing the halls that stretched out in front of him and off to the side. His back blocked most of the camera as he tried to back into the corner as far as possible.

The walls were shaking. Doors opening and closing. The grey figure was getting closer.

Naru spoke into the mike.

"Takigawa-san, it's coming towards you. You need to get out of there. Listen: go all the way down the other hallway. Take a right and we should be two doors down on the left." A pause. "Hurry."

…

Takigawa blinked, but didn't dare turn around to face the camera again. He couldn't leave his back unprotected. What had caused Naru to suddenly trust that he was the real one? Was it a test? For now, all he could do was slightly turn his head and nod in reply. But it was easier said than done. Everything was still pitch black, and he felt as helpless as a child. He could protect himself with his charms and chant, but…

_"Takigawa-san?"_

He heard murmurs and whispers through the mike. Or maybe it was just the static growing louder. The line was going to be cut off again soon. Takigawa slowly reached back with one hand and fumbled for the mike button.

"Lin-san, Naru, can you hear me?"

Silence. He heard breathing.

"_Bou-san_?" Now it was Ayako's voice. "_You better start running_."

He could hear Akira's voice in the background.

_"He's still not moving. What's wrong?"_

"I can't see anything." Takigawa shouted, just as a loud rapping noise appeared overhead. He could hear something else. At first he thought that it was just the camera behind him, but the sound rose and fell, pulsing like a heartbeat. It was mixed with some kind of hissing, creating a strange, unwordly quality - like nothing he'd ever heard before. Looking back, Takigawa would realize that more than anything, it was the sound that had made him afraid.

There was a new voice at the mike, Lin-san's voice, low and commanding. "_Takigawa-san, the situation is becoming too dangerous. Start -"_

"Just go right? I can't see a damn thing and the floors are shaking!"

The sound was building in intensity. He got up and shifted towards the right. The frequency was so low, he felt it as a vibration in his body. The monk could hear footsteps too. At first, they were lightly padding sounds. But whatever was in front of him was gaining speed.

_"Run. Now, Takigawa-san!"_ Naru said firmly.

_Fuck it_, Takigawa thought.

And he ran.

…

"Look." John whispered. He pointed back to the screen that the first Takigawa had just disappeared from. A screen next to it was flickering on. The static cleared and it showed the room with the wardrobe.

The other Takigawa was standing there with a phone pressed against his ear, a grin on his face.

"There really are two of them." Ayako gasped. Her eyes darted from one image to the other. The first Takigawa was no where to be seen, he'd started running at their command. Something crumpled and disfigured hurried by the screen, chasing after the monk. It was pale and ghastly, making the sound of a thousand crawling spiders as it passed by, and then forming into a rhythmic dull pounding.

The Takigawa in the room was staring, only staring straight into the camera. He lost all the emotions on his face and let the phone fall to the floor.

The wardrobe behind him opened and the screen went black.

...

The girl was leading Mai up a flight of stairs.

_Strange_, she thought as they neared the top. _There should only be two floors._

Before Mai knew it, they had stopped walking. She awoke from a sleep-like daze and looked around. The first thing she noticed was the door. It was looming and dark, calling out to her. It was the door from her dreams. Now that she was there and finally about to enter, Mai wanted more than anything to wake up at that moment. But at the same time, curiosity and an overwhelming sense of need filled her.

_Naru, where are you?_

Aya opened the door and walked into the room.

_Aya? _How did she know that that was the girl's name?

Her feet moved involuntarily. Mai felt herself being dragged into the darkness and into the room with the wardrobe. She braced herself for something to happen, anything that might knock her off her feet or blow the wind out of chest. But nothing came.

When Mai opened her eyes she saw light. It took her a while to readjust her vision. The bright flashes of white that blinded her slowly faded away until she could see normally again.

The light had come from a lamp sitting on a nightstand beside a small bed. It made the room glow in dark shades of yellow, warming up the wooden floors and wardrobe in the far right corner. In the middle of this lonely, window-less room was a young girl, seated on the floor with her legs under her. She was silent. Motionless.

She was the girl from her dreams. Mai realized the significance of the fact when she noticed that Aya had disappeared, that Mai was suddenly feeling overwhelmed by emotions and words that did not belong to her. They caused her to act out despite herself.

"Kana-chan." Mai walked forward, kneeling beside the girl and softly stroking her long black hair. "Kana-chan, is it her again?"

Kana didn't say anything, didn't even acknowledge Mai. She slowly looked up. Her body looked as fragile as glass. She turned her head with an expression filled with pain, with dread.

Mai held the girl closely towards her. "What's wrong?"

She could see the muscles in the girl's jaw clench. Something menacing, something that sent a chill up her spine and left her nearly numb was coming from the wardrobe. Had it grown larger? Without a doubt the thing was alive - shaking, moaning, beckoning.

Exhaustion suddenly hit her, and hard. She had been through so much that day that Mai felt as if she were finally defeated. Her eyes drooped, and never noticed the pale hands reaching out to her, stroking her.

Strangling her.

…

Several things happened when the lights flickered back on, exactly an hour after the blackout had occurred.

Takigawa tumbled back into the base, heavily breathing, slamming the door behind him and bringing in a cold wind.

The screen that showed the room with the wardrobe stayed on, now showing a little girl playing with a doll, her eyes nothing but hollowed out dark pits.

Everything became dead silent.

And then Mai began to scream.

* * *

To Be Continued…

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Chapter 9: Role-playing - 16 Years Ago

AN: Please review and tell what you think. Everyone's encouragement and input really keeps me writing. And please forgive me for such late updates -sorry, sorry-


	10. Chapter 9 Roleplaying 16 Years Ago

As **camya** advised, I've put this fic under the horror genre. I don't know what I was thinking putting it under drama/suspense lol

And for **lindis3000**, the summary thus far:

Months after Mai left the SPR to start up life at the University, she began to have strange dreams of a door and young, faceless girl.

A friend and apartment neighbor, Asou Akira, invited Mai to his other home, the house located at the outskirts of town. Mai asked Takigawa for a ride there, and the two of them were the first to visit and be involved in a supernatural incident (Mai saw the maid-girl). The rest of the SPR members showed up an hour later. It was later learned that several young girls had passed away a short while after their families moved into the house in the past.

After that, more strange incidents began to occur. Humming from unknown sources, Akira loosing his short-term memory, strange visions, and terror from a wardrobe in a windowless room. There seemed to be a young girl involved with the hauntings, as well as a strange, grotesque figure with a broken body, a teenage girl (whom Mai had seen earlier), and a woman who'd been in the pictures John had found in the shed.

Takigawa has just made it back to the base and the lights have turned back on. But Mai is still unconscious and experiencing something so real that she doesn't know whether it is a dream or not…

Previously:

Several things happened when the lights flickered back on, exactly an hour after the blackout had occurred.

Takigawa tumbled back into the base, heavily breathing and slamming the door behind him.

The screen that showed the room with the wardrobe stayed on, showing a little girl playing with a doll, her eyes nothing but hollowed out dark pits.

Everything became dead silent.

Mai began to scream.

- The Autumn Room -

Her scream was abrupt and shrill, as if it had been forcibly cut off. The silence that returned to the base seemed too unreal, everyone could still hear her voice in their minds. But there was nothing else from the girl. Everyone had looks of dread on their faces, unsure how to react to the chain of events. Tense seconds passed.

Naru was the first to move. He quickly walked over to Mai, taking her from Ayako and settling her onto the floor. He tired to keep himself look calm as he raised a hand to check Mai's heartbeat. It was erratic and throbbed against his fingers. However, the girl showed no indication of it. Her chest remained still as if she weren't breathing at all.

"What the hell's been going on?" Takigawa gasped, quickly getting to his feet. Several voices called out to him, relieved to see the monk safe. But he didn't hear them. Takigawa rushed over to the unconscious girl and lightly patted her cheeks. "Mai, oi Mai!"

"It must have been a nightmare." Ayako said with a shaky breath.

"She won't wake up?"

"No."

"How long has she been out for?"

"She suddenly fell unconscious a few minutes after you disappeared." Ayako looked to be on the verge of tears. Takigawa stopped questioning her and returned his gaze to the younger girl.

Naru stood up. "And you Takigawa-san? Are you alright?"

"Yeah." The monk replied, not taking his eyes off of Mai. "Much better off than our little girl here. Whatever was chasing me never got into the base thanks to the charms Lin-san put up."

"We'll have to be careful." Lin mentioned. "It's a particularly strong spirit. We won't be able to leave the base for a while."

"What?" Akira jumped up at that and looked from the Chinese man to Naru. "Then what are we going to do? Just stay here until the spirit leaves? That probably won't happen until we're all dead!"

"Please don't say anything so unlucky." John pressed. The priest looked at the boy with calm eyes, but with a troubled face. "We'll come up with something."

There was panic in Akira's eyes. "What if Mai doesn't wake up?"

"Mai's going to be fine." Takigawa snapped.

"It won't do any good to panic or argue." Naru said. He walked back to Lin's desk. Ayako took Mai back into her arms and held her close. "For now, all we can do is try to pieces things together with what we've found and learned. The computers are back on, so we'll be able to look up needed information."

The young man could feel everyone's stare on his back. The fact that he couldn't give more definite orders was making him quietly grit his teeth and send a glare to the screen, still showing the strange young girl in the room with the wardrobe. For the first time in a long time, Naru wasn't sure if he would be able to solve a case. However, he knew that he didn't have the choice to back out. His pride wouldn't allow it, there was no safe way to leave the house…

_And Mai…_

This was exactly why he hadn't wanted her to join in on this particular case. In fact, he felt as though it would be better if she never took on a case again. Naru pressed the knuckles of his left hand against his brow.

And then came the sound. It was the laughter of a young girl - laughter that became distorted into a malicious, piercing shrill. It seemed to shake the whole house as if it were a painful thing. It brought with it the sense of danger, a weight that everyone was able to feel.

Takigawa winced from the volume, hands reaching down to cover Mai's ears. His eyes turned wide when his hands touched nothing.

As the sound faded away, there was a loud gasp. "Naru!" Ayako yelled out.

The miko's panicked tone had him ready for the worst. That perhaps the spirit had made its way into the base, or that someone had been possessed. But as the boy turned to the call of his name, time seemed to slow and stop. Naru felt his whole body grow cold. He couldn't bring himself to believe the scene in front of him.

Where Mai had been, moments before in Ayako's arms, was now nothing but thin air.

…

Mai awoke with a start, and was met with darkness.

She lied still for a while, trying to clear the fogginess that was pressing down on her. She raised a hand to her neck and pressed lightly at her collarbone, rubbing at a sore spot. There were no sounds that she could hear, nor a sense of recognition of the room in which she was in.

Then, light began to reach her. It spread before her, and soon she was aware of the ceiling she was staring up at. Mai raised herself to one elbow, and carefully sat up. Her head was throbbing on one side. She tried to think, get her brain to start working again and try to answer all of the questions that were giving her a headache. But she found the feat impossible. The last thing she remembered was seeing a young girl in the strange room, and hands reaching out to her…

_No. _

Mai shook her head and thought hard. No, that hadn't been a dream at all. She'd lost consciousness and followed that girl somewhere. She couldn't remember anything after they'd reached the staircase. Wait, had that been a dream? The throbbing was intensifying. Perhaps if she returned to the base, the other could fill her in. Mai was filled with sudden dread when she remembered that Takigawa had disappeared. Was everyone else okay? Did the lights ever come back on?

Mai lied back down, her arms sprawled out limbs at her sides; tired eyes staring back up at the ceiling. Her head rolled to her left to cast a weak gaze out into the clear sky washed with an ill grey. Her head rolled to her right to send the gaze into the room with its dresser, night stand, throw rug, desk, wardrobe and door.

This was different, wasn't it? Was it one of her dreams? It seemed too disturbingly…real.

Tossing the blue and green quilt aside, Mai pulled herself up and once again cast her eyes out the window. She was met with the sight of the tops of green fir trees, and orange and brown falling leaves.

When she refocused her eyes to the dimness of the room, Mai felt a strange feeling run down her spine. Had she been in this room before? Though she knew in the back of her mind that something was off, everything seemed serene. It made her alert, tense.

Suddenly, Mai could hear something from outside of the room.

The sound was a distant thing, something she could barely hear, but one that made her start. The floorboards creaked as she got out of bed and walked towards the door. Her hand wavered over the doorknob.

There it was again, the sound of someone running downstairs, a light humming accompanying them. It sounded familiar. She nervously breathed in.

_Bacon? _Mai didn't confirm the bacon and eggs scent filtering into the room until she sniffed the air again. It smelled marvelous.

There was something that was stuck in the back of her mind. It made her feel sluggish whenever she tried to remember. It had been something important….Just when she thought that it was coming back to her, Mai blinked and forgot. All that was in her mind was to go downstairs. She reached for the doorknob and opened the door just a crack. When there was silence, Mai swung it open. She saw a hallway down to the left of the room, where at the end of it, was a flight of downward stairs.

The floorboards felt cold against her bare feet. Each step she took was slow and careful. Mai didn't know why, but her heart was racing. Something about the peaceful morning made the whole situation something to dread. She walked down the stairs and got to the bottom just as the running footsteps turned a corner and reached her.

A young girl was suddenly pressed up against her. When the girl looked up and her and smiled, Mai gasped and nearly pushed her away. It was the same girl from the cemetery, the one that'd appeared in her sleep at the academy, the one that had been in her dreams. But this girl had eyes, washed, pale blue ones. She looked up at Mai as if she were expecting something to be said. Mai opened her mouth, but no words would come out.

_This _has _to be another dream…_

The girl pulled her hand and Mai followed in a daze. They went through a door, and Mai was temporarily blinded by the morning sunlight coming through the large windows. She looked up and saw a table. Not the one she remembered Akira showing her, but a simple, wooden one. A woman was sitting there, looking at her, just looking as if she'd known Mai would have come downstairs that exact moment. It was neither Ayako nor Masako. She was in her thirties, and had a professional, cold air around her. Mai felt her breathing come to a stop. There was something off about the woman's smile - it didn't seem to reach her eyes.

"Why good morning Aya," she said. "Sit down and have some breakfast."

Mai blinked as the scene in front of her blurred. She felt her feet moving and her lips forming a forced, grim smile.

"Yes stepmother." She said.

Chapter 9: Role-playing - 16 Years Ago 

The moment she sat down at the table with the plate of breakfast in front of her, Mai was suddenly aware of how exposed she felt, as if all of the morning attention was on her. She'd never been surrounded with so much silence in her life. The only things she could hear were the ticking of the grandfather clock and forks hitting the plates. But these small sounds couldn't bring any relief to her uneasiness.

Tens of questions were racing through her mind, but there was one that stood out the most: _Why did the woman call me Aya?_

The young girl was looking at her again. She had a blank face, but seemed to be interested in her. The girl leaned over the dining table. Mai felt a tug in her heart and smiled, but didn't get one in return. Instead, the girl tilted her head and blinked.

"Kana, sit down and eat."

Mai's head shot up towards the woman. She was calmly eating her eggs. Mai wondered if she'd imagined the soft, cold voice. However, she realized she hadn't when Kana seated herself properly and picked up a spoon.

The woman glanced at Kana and went back to eating. "Honestly, the brat has no manners."

A lump grew in Mai's chest. She felt sudden hatred that overwhelmed her, but hatred that wasn't coming from _her_. Suddenly, before she realized what she doing, Mai stood up and slammed her fork down, shaking the table. The woman looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't think you can talk to her anyway you want just because you live here now."

"Is that any way to speak to your step-mother?"

Mai was struck by the woman's calmness. It was as if they were discussing the eggs they were eating. Mai's glare hardened. She hated how her step-mother looked down on her. The woman stopped eating and squarely faced her. She gave a light scoff.

"Do you really think I want to be here? It was your father who suggested it and I didn't have a choice. It's funny," she said dryly, "how a man like him could have any authority in the first place."

Mai was clenching her teeth so hard that it sent a chill down her spine.

"But your mother was worse off - she was such a weak soul. No wonder she took her own -"

"_Shut up_!"

Mai's hand flew out in front of her, sending everything on the table in front of her into the air. The loud impacts the glass and metal made with the floor snapped Mai back to her senses. She blinked and was suddenly aware of what she'd done. As she took a deep breath, she could feel the back of her hand start to sting. The heat fled from her cheeks. Mai met eyes with the woman, speechless at her own actions.

"That," the woman said slowly, "was unnecessary."

Mai's mouth snapped shut. Her head turned to the scene of broken glass and spilt tea, the one she had made. Why had she done that? She could swear her hand had moved on its own. Two pairs of eyes bored into her, waiting for her answer. Having no response, she pushed back her chair and walked away, desperate to be alone.

Mai grew uneasy as the low drumming of the grandfather clock seemed to grow louder, as she saw out of the corner of her eye the woman's pale, deceiving face.

But most of all, as she felt the little girl's heavy stare that followed her out of the room.

…

_What is going on? _

Ten minutes later, it was still the only thing that was running through Naru's mind, the question that seemed to have an impossible answer. Mai had disappeared into thin air.

He looked back to the table where he could see Ayako with her head in her hands, Takigawa leaving a comforting hand on her shoulder, Masako, John and Akira all looking somber. He allowed himself to sigh.

"Lin, is it still dangerous to leave the room?"

The man nodded reluctantly. "However, the presence is fading away. At this rate, we will be able to step outside in half an hour."

Naru nodded and turned to the numerous blank screens sitting on the shelves. Even when the electricity had turned back on, none of their cameras were working. There had to be an explanation for these occurrences. Mai was in danger. They had to solve the case, quickly. He knew they had to find the connections between the young girl, the maid Mai had seen and the woman in the pictures. They also had to figure out the reason behind the numerous deaths of the girls who'd lived there, it would take them a step closer to wherever Mai had been taken.

Naru's eyes flickered down to the only screen that would turn on. The one showing the room with the wardrobe and strange girl, the apparition. The evil spirit had to be her. If only he could figure out why -

Naru's eyes widened. Wait…

The girl was no longer there. It was once again just an empty room. Naru brought his face closer to the screen, bending over to do so. He checked the time at the top corner of the screen and saw that it was still running, had been running for the past 15 minutes. _Good_, he thought with hardened determination. _This might be a clue_.

"Lin. Rewind this tape at half-speed."

Without asking any questions, Lin nodded and sat down at his desk.

"Stop, now fast forward…stop." Naru was silent for a moment, thoughts racing. Though it would be impossible, perhaps…Naru stood tall and turned to the SPR members. His deep voice rang out as he made an announcement.

"Everyone, there is something you need to see."

…

_What is going on? _

Mai had left the dining room, but without any thought of where she was headed. She'd opened the first door down the hallway to her left, which turned out to be a bathroom. But after shutting the door and flipping on the lights, Mai was given another surprise. She now stood in front of the mirror, staring with disbelief at her reflection.

The girl in the mirror had long, black hair. She was wearing something like an indoor dress, plain and knee-length. Mai noticed that the girl was a few years older than herself with a weary complexion. When Mai moved her hand to touch her face, so did the girl in the reflection, mirroring her exact movements.

"Why?"

With trembling fingers Mai splashed water onto her face and pressed her eyes tightly shut. She opened her eyes again and felt hopeless dread fill her up when she saw the face that didn't belong to her.

"Why, why, _why_?" Mai gripped the sides of the sink tightly and stared into terrified brown eyes. "Why am I here? How is this possible?"

Mai let the cool water drip down her face as she sorted things out. She'd woken up in the same house, and yet the interior and people who lived in it were different. The girl she'd seen several times in her dreams, by the graveyard and at her school, was there. Was this just another dream?

The scene of the morning breakfast clouded her vision.

The woman she'd called step-mother…suddenly, Mai realized that the woman was the one from the photos John had found in the forest. She had to be. Mai's eyes widened and she gasped. John! The SPR!

"Naru." Mai realized how strange it was for her new voice to be calling out his name. It sounded foreign and out of place, like it really wasn't her who was calling for him. She didn't like it.

Mai slapped both hands to either sides of her face, wincing at the impact. Well, she couldn't loose it now. She was alone, but that didn't mean she couldn't figure things out on her own. Mai looked back up at her reflection and nodded.  
"I'm in this body for a reason." She whispered, trying to convince herself. Mai didn't know what she was supposed to do. Perhaps starting from the beginning would be a good idea. She would return to the room she'd woken up in, and perhaps find a clue. Mai remembered what Naru had told her a year ago, about always examining your surroundings and never loosing your nerve. She took a deep but shaky breath, turned around, and opened the door. She was so preoccupied in her thoughts that she didn't see the figure standing in her way.

Mai gasped and gave a violent start. She blinked hard and felt her neck redden.

"Oh…Kana…chan."

The young girl gave her a small smile, looking up with innocent eyes. Mai tired to smile back but only managed to press her lips in a thin line. Kana reached out and took one of Mai's hand. She pulled at it gently. Mai resisted for a split second.

"Ah, do you want me to…to go with you?"

Kana paused a moment and nodded. Mai could only nod back, feeling as though she had no choice but to follow.

_Change of plans_. "O-Okay."

Hand in hand, Kana led Mai down the hall.

As they passed the door Mai had stormed through earlier, she wondered if the woman was still in the room eating her breakfast as if nothing had happened. Mai refrained from looking at the door for too long. Instead, she tried to focus her mind on one thing. If she didn't, she felt as though all of the turning thoughts would make her head explode. So the question she was focusing on now was, _where is she taking me?_

They went up the stairs and took the hallway to their left.

_This hallway leads to the room I woke up in_. Mai realized. But they passed that one, to the one right next to it. The girl gave Mai's hand a small squeeze and opened the door.

It was a plain, windowless room. The first thing that caught Mai's attention was the large wardrobe in the corner. It was exactly like the one in the other room, down to the last detail. Mai's eyes were transfixed on it until she was pulled down, nearly tripping over a box of crayons. Kana giggled and grabbed a blue crayon that rolled her way.

Mai smiled. She was surprised how naturally it now came. "Are you going to draw a picture Kana?"

Kana filled the top half of the page in her sketchbook with the blue in her hand. Mai was close enough to notice the way Kana's bangs were pressed to one side, see the deep concentration in her eyes, and how she smelled of soap, all features that made Mai feel as though she were remembering a dream.

_Hmm hmm hmmmmm_

Kana began to hum to herself, a slow sweet melody that soon embedded itself in Mai's mind. It sounded strangely familiar.

When she stood up, a hand shot out and quickly grabbed at the hem of her dress.

"Don't worry Kana-chan, I'm not leaving."

The girl stared at her for several seconds, evaluating whether or not Mai was telling a lie. Then with resignation, she let go.

Mai walked over to Kana's small bed. Her long thin robe brushed her legs as she sat down. As spontaneous hunches went, she didn't believe that Kana was as dangerous as she'd first presumed. In fact, Kana seemed to be the opposite - completely harmless. Maybe being with Kana would give her some clue as to why she'd been brought there, if that was what happened. But instead of taking the time to come up with any plans, Mai was lost in the comfortable moment.

She continued to watch Kana until a photo in a wooden frame caught her eye. She took it from the bed stand and examined the two bright faces smiling out at her. One was Kana a few years younger, and the other looked like the girl in the reflection. Mai traced a light finger across the older girl's face. She looked so radiant and happy that she seemed to be a different person.

Across the bottom in sloppy scribbles were the words, _Aya nee-chan and me - 1993_

1993. It was 2009. Mai did the math in her head and blinked in confusion.

Sixteen years ago.

"Kana-chan?" She waited until the girl stopped humming. Mai raised the photo and pointed. "When was this taken? Is this us? Ah -"

As she was asking the questions, the picture slipped through the bottom of the frame and floated down to her feet. "Sorry." She said quickly, bending over to grab it.

Mai fit it back in and set it back on the stand. When she was finished, she sat back to find the girl staring coldly at her. The look in the girl's eyes, much too old and scary for a child, made Mai freeze. She didn't really understand, but she felt as though she'd made a mistake. A large one. "I'm sorry." Mai repeated softly, but this time, she wasn't talking about the picture. "Of course this is us, you and…me."

Mai held her breath until Kana broke into a smile and went back to her drawing, as if nothing had happened. Mai's shoulders sank and she stared at Kana with disbelief.

_What was that…just now?_

Suddenly, the room felt colder, or was that just her imagination? Before she could contemplate, the door opened violently.

Both girls turned as the woman entered, looking flustered. She scoffed when her eyes met with Mai's and looked down at Kana.

"You, get out." The woman ordered.

And again, Mai felt emotions rising within her, ones that didn't belong to her. She became helpless as her eyes narrowed at the woman. She got to her feet with clenched fists.

"Don't you know how to knock?"

"Have something to hide?" The woman asked softly, almost accusingly. She turned back to Kana. "Didn't I tell you to get out? I need to talk to your sister."

"Kana-chan," Mai called out. "Go on downstairs. I'll come get you in a moment. "

After a short pause, Kana removed her arms from the drawing and stood up. Mai instinctively looked down. The picture had two girls standing next to each other, holding hands. The blue sky had a round, yellow sun that was shining down its rays. It resembled the photo Mai had been looking at earlier. But…Mai felt her whole body grow cold when she saw what was written at the bottom.

Labeled beneath both girls were the names: _Kana and Mai nee-chan. _

Mai's head shot up. She felt a breathlessness that made her want to bury her head in her hands. Time seemed to slow as Kana paused at the door, her hand on the handle. She turned back to send Mai a quick glance. Mai couldn't utter a sound. The girl's eyes…something about them wasn't normal.

Kana smiled, raised a finger to her lips, and walked out.

…

As soon as Kana was gone, the woman closed the distance between herself and Mai, approaching with a look of fury.

"What the _hell _is this?"

Mai took a step back, eyes locking with the woman's. Her legs touched the side of the bed.

"What -"

Something hit the side of her face. It fell to the floor with a resounding slap. Mai felt a part of her fade away as the voice that didn't belong to her spoke on its own.

"The letter I sent to dad…Why do you have it?"

"That's none of your business." The woman took a breath and tried to talk in a calm manner. "Now answer me. What do you think you're trying to do?"

Mai bent over, and it was Aya who picked up the letter. There was no envelope. Realization struck her hard. She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You've been going through my letters?"

"I can't have you bothering your sick father with these lies." The woman crossed her arms. She spoke to Aya as if she were a child. "Are you out of your mind? What have I ever done to you as to be guilty of all the terrible things you wrote? You -"

"The marks on her arms." Aya interrupted. Mai wasn't sure what she was talking about, but the woman seemed to know. It cut her step-mother off abruptly and with great effect. Aya took a step forward, and the woman took one backwards. "You didn't do anything? Try explaining the cuts first."

"I don't know what you're talking -"

"The marks on Kana's arms!" Aya screamed.

"How dare - I haven't touched a hair on the girl's body!"

Aya let out a short, dark laugh. "I find cuts running up her arms, and she won't tell me where she got them from. Someone hurt her."

"So I'm the culprit?" The woman asked coldly. "You know better than I do that she had trouble after your mother's death. Your father had to leave and she ended being alone with you and me. It's not unusual for children to cry for attention."

Aya didn't blink. Her voice was thin but carried out a furious tone. "Are you saying that she'd do that to herself? "

"I'm saying that it's possible."

"She's just a young girl." Aya spat out. "Next you'll be saying that _I _did it to her. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not like you who hurts others to get what they want."

At that, Aya knew she'd pushed too far. The woman shot out an arm and tried to snatch the letter back. She only got the half that was protruding from Aya's fist. She tugged, but Aya wouldn't let go. She looked at Aya so angrily that Mai wondered if they were in danger.

"I have a right to communicate with my dad." Aya whispered menacingly. "And I'm going to tell him of what you've done here."

The woman pulled down sharply. The letter tore in half, remained lifeless.

"No." She managed, then she cleared her throat. "Not while I'm here. And you _will _behave."

Without another word, the woman stepped back and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

…

Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen as Lin pressed play. The video started 8 minutes into it, showing the young girl sitting in the room. Naru spoke from the side, narrating.

"This screen turned on the moment the lights turned back on and Takigawa-san made his way back to the base."

The seconds passed. 9 minutes…9 minutes 57 seconds…

"Watch."

10 minutes. The girl in the room vanished. Lin paused the tape as Naru continued to speak. "Ten minutes after this recording, the girl disappeared into thin air. It was around the same time Mai did as well." He looked at the others with a nod. "It can't be a coincidence."

He gave them a few seconds to realize the point the was trying to make.

"What are you saying? That…that girl took Mai?" Takigawa asked slowly. "But why?"

"I'm not sure. But it seems most likely that that's what happened. I would like to know how she was able to, though. She would have had to get past our barriers." Naru crossed his arms and nodded at Lin to press play. "There's more."

At first, there was nothing but the screen showing the room, a light buzz emitting from the video. Then, there was a soft thud, shortly followed by another.

"What is that?" Ayako asked.

They listened carefully.

"The floorboards?" Masako offered. "They sound like they're creaking."

The sounds continued only for a short while. After they stopped for a few moments, the door to the room seemed to suddenly open on its own. Then the tape stopped and the screen turned black.

Takigawa thought out-loud, a finger to his chin. "You can hear the boards creaking, and the door opens. It's almost as if…someone is walking out of the room."

"Well, what does that mean?" Akira asked, a puzzled look on his face. "That Mai's …"

"Either it is a spirit wandering around, or Mai somehow in another dimension of time." Naru responded. He said it with such conviction that it startled everyone.

Akira looked at Naru with disbelief. "How the hell is that possible?"

"Well, it doesn't seem all that impossible after she disappeared into thin air." Takigawa muttered. "Damn, this is one big mess."

"But if what Shibuya-san said is right…" John caught eyes with Naru. Something passed between them. "How do we get Taniyama-san back?"

"Connect the dots. Figure things out with what we have here." Naru tightened his mouth. "Let's go over what we know one more time. We can't have another death." He said softly, almost so that the others missed it. "Especially Mai's."

…

Mai let out a gasp as Aya's influence over her slipped away. She could feel her body again, move her hands the way she wanted to, let the anger fade away.

_She's going too far. _

The thought that passed through Mai's mind made her wonder. She herself couldn't tell whether she was referring to Aya or the woman. But she knew that the tension between them was too tight and suffocating, and that it would eventually have to snap.

Mai fell backwards onto her bed and spread out her arms like wings. Would this ever end? Would she remain in this house, stuck forever as someone else? She was mentally exhausted. Somehow, she found the strength to leave the room and enter the one she'd woken up in. The bed was just the way she'd left it, and looked almost comforting. Before she knew it, Mai was hugging herself as if she were suddenly chilled; as if she were suddenly wary of falling apart. She closed her eyes and, despite herself, fell into a deep sleep.

…

The woman slammed the piece of letter she'd ripped apart onto the dining table with heated force. It made Kana wince, bring her shoulders together. It was always like that these days. Her sister and her step-mother would get into fights, and she would have to deal with one or the other until they cooled down. She'd experienced this particular scene a number of times, knew what was coming. But this time, this time Kana had faith.

Kana watched from the edge of the kitchen door. She walked in and stood behind the woman, waiting. Her step-mother soon started at her presence and turned around.

"Oh," she said sourly, turning away. "It's you."

Kana hated the woman. She would always just stare at her or send glares whenever their eyes met, for a reason she couldn't comprehend. She just knew that her real mom had left when the woman started coming over. She'd watched as her mother would cry in her room, her figure becoming disheveled and eventually so weakened and frail that she was unrecognizable. Now she and her father was no longer living with them.

Kana died and so did her sister. And now, it would happen all over again. A flash of white from beneath the woman's hand caught her eyes.

_Love, Aya_

Kana's eyes flickered up to the woman's, but her step-mother didn't notice it. The woman had taken something from her sister, again. Kana recognized the light pink outlines surrounding the paper her sister wrote a letter on days ago. Aya had mentioned that it was important for their father to read, that it would get them away from this house, that woman. That was all years ago. She'd died multiple times now, but this time…Kana felt as though she would be saved.

Kana walked up to her step-mother and looked her in the eye. After taking a deep breath, she snatched the piece of the letter from her stepmother's hand, and ran.

…

She was only able to take three steps before her stepmother jerked her back. The woman grabbed on harder than she knew was necessary. She squeezed, a warning.

"Kana, what do you think you're doing? That doesn't belong to you."

"It doesn't belong to you either. You stole it."

Her step-mother scowled. "Kana!"

The girl wouldn't move an inch. In fact, she could see Kana's hand trying to scrunch up the paper into a ball in her fist. The woman scowled and shook the girl roughly.

"You give that to me _right now_."

It almost frightened her the way Kana glared at her, as if she could overpower her any moment. Then something hit her and her mouth dropped open. "You let your sister believe that it was me hurting you, didn't you? How dare you frame me like that? You and your sister are low-class girls I regret ever getting involved with."

Kana squirmed in her grasp, and screamed when the woman shook her again.

"Nee-chan!"

She struggled as the woman pressed a hand to the girl's mouth. "You brat." She seethed, dragging the girl back into the kitchen. "Stop it!"

Instead, Kana fought back harder. She kicked, scratched and shoved. When she called for her sister again and then for her mother, it made the woman snap.

If she were to live to be a hundred, she would never forget how she shoved Kana against the counter with much more force than she had intended, how the impact made a sickening noise as the young girl began to fall, how Kana tried to grasp at something, anything and made contact with the knife case so that the sharp blades fell, and sliced across her step-daughter's back.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Chapter 10: Resolve

Thank you so much to everyone who left a review!

P.S. I got into University of Washington and University of Penn! =D


	11. Chapter 10 Resolve

Previously:

If she were to live to be a hundred, she would never forget how she shoved Kana against the counter with much more force than she had intended, how the impact made a sickening noise as the young girl began to fall, how Kana tried to grasp at something, anything and made contact with the knife case so that the sharp blades fell, and sliced across her step-daughter's back.

"_So?" _

_The officer shook his head, pulling at the collar of his shirt that felt suddenly a bit too tight around his neck. "The younger girl was found dead in her room. It looks like she was dragged there after being stabbed. Her stepmother was found dead next to her, head bashed in."_

_There was a heavy sigh. __"…and Aya- I mean, the older sister?"_

"_That's the thing, sir. Her body is nowhere to be found. We don't know anything yet, but I'm assuming she ran away."_

_Takasu raised an eyebrow. "And what made you _assume _that?"_

"_Well sir, the house wasn't broken into. Neither the locks on the front or back door were disturbed and none of the windows were broken."_

"_Or perhaps she was never in the house in the first place." _

_The officer pressed his lips together in silent disagreement. "Forgive me sir, but we both knew the situation the family was in. I doubt that Aya would have been out of the house the time the murders took place." _

_Takasu gave his partner a hard stare. "I still want you to search the entire house, inside and out. Find her."_

_The man knew better than to say anything else to such an order. With a quick salute, he left._

_Takasu remained where he stood, watching the chaos surrounding him. Everyone near the outskirts of town had known the sisters personally, himself included, and there was no way Aya would have abandoned her sister. He knew it was wrong to mix emotions into his train of thought, but his instincts were telling him that she'd had no choice but to leave. That maybe…_

_He didn't know. He knew he was getting ahead of himself. At the call of his name, Takasu followed his partner through the front gate and into the house, bloodied and occupied with the corpses he'd soon have to face._

ტThe Autumn Roomტ

He heard it as a light, fleeting rumble in the distance, gone before he could realize what it was. Akira pulled away from what he was reading and looked at the door as though he could look through it, through the darkness, and down the flight of long stairs.

"What was that?" Akira whispered, the words forming before he realized they'd been spoken out loud.

"What was what?" Takigawa asked, not looking up from his stack of papers.

Akira averted his eyes to the floor and concentrated on something only he seemed to sense. After a moment, he raised his head, confused. "You didn't hear that? I'm sure I heard something from downstairs."

Naru immediately turned around. "A voice?"

"No, more like…a thud."

Everyone became still at once, straining their ears. To their disappointment, there was nothing but stinging silence.

Takigawa rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a disappointed sigh. "Are you sure you heard something? It could just be the situation getting to your head."

"I didn't imagine it if that's what you mean," Akira snapped.

"You sure about that? You sounded quite uncertain when you first mentioned it."

"Stop it you two," Ayako pleaded with a hard tone. "Bickering isn't going to get us anywhere."

Akira glared at Takigawa, tension thickening the air. It was apparent that everyone was tired, dark circles were under every pair of half-lidded eyes. They seemed to be getting nowhere and Mai was still missing. Each member was going through files or any sort of documentation they could get their hands on, reading expeditiously. If only one more clue came up - a piece of the past that they'd somehow missed reading about.

When it was apparent that Akira hadn't heard anything at all, the SPR members went back to their original tasks. It was then that Masako, seated in a chair at the far end of the table, felt her headache slowly going away. She blinked hard as relief suddenly filled her. It felt like a breath of fresh air. But the relief came with a cold sensation that shot down her right arm. Suddenly, her hand seemed to move on its own. She remained still, shocked as it crawled over papers until it dug out one at the bottom of a tall pile. With a sharp pull, Masako sent the papers fall, fanning across the table.

"Hey!" Ayako let out, surprised. "What are you doing?"

Masako didn't respond. The grasp on the paper wouldn't let loose. She began to read whatever was on the paper with vigor. It was old with age, the edges soft and ripped in several places. Her head shot up halfway through.

"This is…"

There was a loud thud. This time, everyone heard it.

John quickly walked over to the door and stood still for a moment. His eyes widened seconds later. "I think Asou-san wasn't hearing things. I hear…I think someone's coming upstairs." He turned to face the rest of the SPR members, his face white. "It's…dragging something."

And soon, they could all hear it as well - the dull thumps as something was forcefully dragged up the stairs, the labored steps of whoever was pulling the load, and the weight of something heavy being pushed against the wooden floor of the hall. It traveled past the door of the base, before entering a room a few doors away.

Chapter 10: Resolve

Oh god, oh god, _oh god_.

She knew before she reached the young girl that it was too late. Kana's hands were curled in light fists, her eyes still wide open, her face drained of color. The woman stood, rooted to the ground as Kana shuddered and twisted in pain. She knew at that moment that she should call for Aya, their father, the ambulance, for help. But overwhelming terror enveloped her. The woman fell to the floor, her hair in her eyes and hands uncontrollably shaking. She suppressed a scream as Kana's eyes seemed to burn into hers, watching as the pool of blood slowly spread. It was only when Kana stopped moving that the woman let out a breath and short sob.

Her mind was blank, and yet was processing what she'd done at a dizzying pace.

Kana was dead…and it would be only a short amount of time before her sister found out. For now, she had to hide the body. _Hide the body_.

The woman couldn't bring herself to get close to the girl, but somehow managed to wrap her hands around both of Kana's ankles. She shook uncontrollably. They were still warm.

Blind with fear, she began to drag her step-daughter's body across the floor and up the stairs, all the while Kana's outstretched hands, calling for her sister, left a trail of smeared blood on the wooden floors.

…

Mai awoke to the sound of a thud.

Her eyes snapped open, and was immediately awake. The arm she had fallen asleep on was numb and buzzing with a light pain. She sat up quickly when she saw that the room was dark. How long had been she asleep? Out cold was more like it. Mai let out a frustrated sigh when she remembered the promise she'd made to Kana probably hours before.

"_Go on downstairs. I'll come get you in a moment. "_

The last thing she wanted was for Kana to be alone with their step-mother. Mai couldn't bear the thought of her sister being hurt in any way. She angrily got to her feet and walked to door. Mai no longer found it odd that she was feeling emotions that didn't belong to her. Aya's consciousness seemed to seep in every once in a while. They were impossible not to accept and understand.

Mai took a step into the hall, and then recalled why she'd woken up. A loud sound had come from the room next to hers. Kana's room. Her worries lessened. Kana was most likely playing with her toys. The tension lessened when she saw the lamp light fall into the halls.

But as Mai neared the door, she saw that something wasn't quite right. It was slightly open, and Kana liked to keep it shut for privacy. Mai tiptoed near the door. There was the sound of loud breathing coming from within. She gasped loudly when she stepped in something. When she raised her foot, the substance dripped from her, back into the pile on the floor. She nearly screamed.

_Blood. A trail of blood._

Sudden dizziness hit her. Mai pressed hard against the door as she burst into the room, nearly tipping herself over. She was whispering her sister's name frantically, desperately.

Kana was in the room, lying in the middle of the room with her figure spread as if she were asleep, but there was no response. Mai's eyes fell upon the girl. She'd never felt so lost in her life, unaware of what to do or how to react. Her body, Aya's body, fell next to Kana's. Her hands shook as they traced the edges of the girl's face, stroked her bloodstained hair.

Just when she'd last seen Kana, her entire face had been as luminous as the moon. Now it was pale, her closed eyes standing out like bruises.

"Kana-chan," she whispered, shaking her gently. "Wake up!" She gave up, instead trying to sit her upright. She went to check Kana's pulse, but froze when she realized that the girl's neck was smeared with blood and lined with bruises. She felt herself hit a wall, so abruptly and full-on. Heart pounding, she held her dead sister close to her, tears flowing freely.

It was her fault, her fault that she'd left her sister alone. How could she have fallen asleep? A sharp scream ripped away from her lips. Then another, and another.

Her trance was only broken when a distant and unexpected sound reached her. The woman was standing near Kana's bed, shivering. The woman stood rooted to the spot, unable to move and equally sure that saying anything would be the worst possible thing to do. Her breath grew heavier. Mai froze up with something that couldn't be explained - there she was, alive and breathing, and her sister dead on the floor.

A thick tension noosed them.

"What is this?" Mai demanded, still cradling her sister. "What did she do to you? _What?! _How…_how could _-" There was such hatred in her voice that it scared even Mai. But this time, she understood and realized that the anger was also hers.

"Aya, listen to me. It was an accident -"

Something snapped right then. Mai let out a scream that filled the room. She ran forward, landing a heavy blow across the woman's face. She kicked the fallen woman, felt a tinge of pleasure as she reached out to wrap her fingers around her step-mother's bare neck. The woman fought back, the backside of a hand connecting with Mai's head. Mai didn't let go, wouldn't. She yelled out when the woman tried to get up, her height and strength overpowering hers. A sharp pain ran down her back as the woman slammed her back against the wardrobe, the handles stabbing into her. Somehow in the midst of the chaos, Mai managed to trip the woman, regaining control. She pressed her forearm down as hard as she could on the woman's throat. She could feel the woman squirming beneath her, the bucking of her hips.

Fear washed over Mai when the woman continued to fight. Her hand reached out. Her fingers felt for anything that could help her. A cord. She pulled down. The woman rolled over and began to cough violently as Mai reached out for the metal lamp that had fallen to the floor.

"Aya…wait -"

Mai didn't hear a thing. She looked straight into the woman's eyes, and swung down.

…

"Well whatever it was, it's gone." Akira said as John backed away from the door.

"What was it?" Ayako asked in a whisper. No one could supply her with an answer.

A small, thin voice spoke. "This may have something to do with it." All heads turned towards Masako. They saw in her hand an article. After a short breath, she began to read out loud.

_Kawazoe Aya, 17, Suspected of Double Murder_

_17 year-old Kawazoe Aya, found dead in a lake nearby her home, is being suspected of the murders that occurred in the supposed haunted house at the outskirts of ---- town. _

_Kawazoe's younger sister, 12, and her stepmother, 45, were found dead a day after the murders took place._

"_Kana always had a weak body, and when she didn't come to an appointment without cancellation, a worried family nurse went for a visit." Police Noe Takasu said. _

_Takasu said that both bodies were found in the younger sister, Kawazoe Kana's room._

"_There were bruised lines across Kana's neck and there was the possibility that she'd died of ligature strangulation. However, it were the cuts in her back that caused her death."_

_Kawazoe Kana was dragged up the stairs after the knife wound, left to die in her room. Inoue Saku, their stepmother, was found next to her with her face brutally bashed in, beyond recognition._

_The younger sister's body_….

As soon as Masako finished reading the full article, Naru walked over and took it from her. His eyes scanned the article again, catching certain bits of information that didn't quite fit.

"Remember earlier when we heard the boards creaking, and the door opening?" Takigawa said slowly. "But no one was there. Naru speculated that Mai was either in another time or it was her spirit that was moving around the house."

"What of it?" Akira asked.

"What if the house is reliving a part of the past…right Takigawa-san?" John asked.

"What do you think Naru?"

The young man nodded. "Something was being dragged outside. Perhaps that was part of the murder that occured years ago..."

Ayako brought a nervous hand to her lips. "So we're part of the past?"

Naru nodded. "Or the past has found a way to the present."

There was a sudden sharp pop. Everyone gave a short start. A screen blacked out, and was soon filled with static. It blacked out again before it was splashed with a shade of light grey.

"Naru." Lin called out urgently. "Another camera has turned on."

Chairs scrapped the floor as everyone crowded around Lin. The grey brightened to a blinding white light. When it cleared, the screen showed neither a room nor a hallway.

"But that's…"

"Outside!" Ayako finished. "In the woods!"

"How's that possible?" Takigawa asked.

"Ah!" Akira shot forward and pressed a finger to the screen. "Mai! It's Mai!"

"Is she okay? Is she with anyone?"

Before he could reply, Lin started. He turned his head, holding a moment of concentration.

"Lin, what is it?" Naru pressed.

"The spiritual presences outside are gone. They've just...disappeared."

The words slowly settled inbetween everyone. As soon as they were all aware that it would be safe for the time being, Naru headed towards the door. A strong hand stopped him short.

Lin's face was severe. "Where are you going?"

"We need to move while we can. Getting Mai is our top priority. She could be possessed like Hara-san had been."

"He's right," Akira said. "She's outside, heading who knows where."

"No, Naru." Lin pressed, "You should know better. It's too dangerous to go out right away -"

Naru pulled away from the taller man's grip. He stared back and said in a hard tone, "Then come with me, because I'm going."

…

Blood spilled through the floorboards and stained her clothes. Mai landed a final blow to the still body and got up on shaky legs. The weight of the lamp suddenly felt like a pile of bricks. She let it slowly slipped from her hand and land onto the bedroom floor. The loud sound startled her. The woman did not move. She was covered with her own blood, disfigured beyond recognition.

"Oh my god…"

She felt sick. The She'd killed the woman. Her sight was failing, as if someone else was taking over. Was it Aya? Had it actually been her who'd done the act? Mai clasped a hand tightly to her mouth, her tearing eyes shut tightly with an effort not to cry. She wasn't thinking anymore, just trying to fight the nausea and an overpowering sense of horror

She had to get out. Out of the room, out of the house. Away. Now.

Mai tripped as she left the room, but caught herself with wobbly legs. She walked as quickly as her condition would allow, determined not to look down at the blood surrounding her and covering her. The metallic smell was making her sick.

"This can't be…a dream."

Mai saw the world before her blur and sway. She was painfully aware of everything. The blood on her hands, the throbbing on the side of her head, the sharp pricks running up her left leg. Before, she had 'watched' as Aya and the woman had struggled, she hadn't been a part of it. But now, she was completely conscious. She had been left with the aftermath of the incident.

Mai stopped in her tracks, her body heavily leaning against the wall. A low buzzing reached her ears, a sound that she shouldn't been have able to have heard.

"Wha-" Her eyes shifted left and right. There was nothing she knew of that could be producing the sound. The only thing that was obvious was the direction it was coming from. A hidden strength helped her take another step. And another, down hallway, down the stairs, towards the front door. Outside. She was supposed to go outside, towards the sound. Mai couldn't understand it, but something strong was guiding her. Before she knew it, she was outside in the chill.

The sound was now a mixture of several. They were filling up the whole area, growing louder with each step she took. Slowly, she made her way into the woods. She was like a puppet being pulled by invisible strings. Deeper and deeper, until she finally stopped, something heavy enveloping her like a blanket. The sounds were all she could hear. They were a lingering thrumming, they swelled, rose and reached a volume that shook her until it was violently cut off when Mai's eyes landed on a hunched over figure.

She was pale, ghastly. Long black hair covered up part of her face, making her unidentifiable. A breath slowly escaped from her when she and Mai met eyes. The girl stepped a foot into the lake that was as still as glass.

_Come here Mai. __I'll make it end for you. Come here._

The words were more than what she wanted to hear. Mai didn't even feel as if she were walking, but rather floating. She wanted it to end. She'd had enough. With outstretched arms, she began walking towards her relief. She reached the wooden dock and walked on.

"_Mai!" _

The call was distant, like an echo from long ago. It came once more, closer. She tried to turn back, towards the call.

_Who is that? _Mai wondered. Slowly, with a detached mind, Mai turned her head around. It was a young man she'd never seen before, yet something about him felt so familiar. His black hair, tall figure, but mostly his dark, mysterious eyes called out to her, screamed at her to remember. He was running towards her. Something tugged at her heart.

"Mai!"

"Na…ru…"

The sound was quieter than the breeze, but it caused her body to suddenly awaken. She no longer felt heavy or detached. The cold air bit at her bare skin, her heart began to hammer against her chest.

"Naru…Naru!"

Mai could see his face, his relief-filled face mirrored by her own. What was she doing before? She couldn't remember…all that mattered was going back to the base, where the rest of SPR was waiting.

Mai stepped forward with an outstretched hand. But her weight forced the old boards down. Before she knew it, Naru was out of her sight and there was nothing but a loud splash that filled her ears and swallowed her up. Her breath was knocked out of her, the unpleasant feeling of the sudden surprise overwhelming her whole body. She fell into the darkness and icy cold lake, her eyes wide, body frozen. She couldn't see. Couldn't breathe.

Before the world began to fade away, Mai saw a shadow appear beside her. A strong, large hand pressed against her side. They broke the surface, the bright morning sky blinded her. Everything faded away.

* * *

To be Concluded…

* * *

AN: First of all, I'm very sorry for taking Forever finishing up this chapter. I became a college student at UW in September (!) so I've been quite busy adjusting and such. I decided to stay in-state because of tuition, which some of you will understand.

Second, thank you to the people who congradulated me for my acceptance into my top choices, it made me happy =)


	12. Chapter 11 All is Lost

Previously:

Mai stepped forward with an outstretched hand. But her weight forced the old boards down. Before she knew it, Naru was out of her sight and there was nothing but a loud splash that filled her ears and swallowed her up. Her breath was knocked out of her, the unpleasant feeling of the sudden surprise overwhelming her whole body. She fell into the darkness and icy cold lake, her eyes wide, body frozen. She couldn't see. Couldn't breathe.

Before the world began to fade away, Mai saw a shadow appear beside her. A strong, large hand pressed against her side. They broke the surface, the bright morning sky blinded her.

Everything faded away.

ტThe Autumn Roomტ

Opening her eyes was a Herculean effort. Swollen and grainy, they seem resolved to stay shut. Mai couldn't move a muscle and for the first few moments of consciousness, she couldn't get a strange, distant ringing from her ears. Slowly, the world opened itself to her. She had an immense headache but soon, blurs of color soon came together to form recognizable shapes and figures. People were surrounding her. Three were on her left, two at the foot of her bed, and one on her left. None of them, to her disappointment, had black on.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the sound that she produced was cracked and broken.

"Shhh, it's okay. Mai, you're safe. Just rest for now."

A gentle hand followed the calming words. Both reached her clearly, but Mai still felt uneasy. Questions swirled in her mind. She was wondering if she'd escaped the horrid nightmare she'd been trapped in, if Naru was okay, where she was.

Soon, the lights no longer felt like bright shards. She breathed in deeply and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she focused on was the dark presence snuggled at the foot of the bed, right below her feet. It was black, and a pang of relief flooded her as Naru's image filled her mind. But she quickly realized that something was wrong with him. The figure was much too short, with no pale face or reassuring eyes. It's eyes were large pits, had white ribbons hanging loosely from it's head. It formed into the shape of a young, grinning girl. She reached out to her with a high-pitched giggle.

Mai screamed. Hands came down on her and she began to struggle.

...

For a moment, Naru was glad to just be looking at her again – safe within the base, surrounded by people he could trust to keep her safe. After Naru had dragged her out of the lake, he'd carried her back to the house, both soaking and freezing. After quickly getting them new close, they'd tried taking Mai to the hospital while the house remained dormant. But the cars wouldn't start, and Mai had slowly acquired a light fever. Without any other choice, they took her back into the base and laid her down on the pull-out mattress folded into the couch. It was three hours before she showed any visible sings of life. Naru wasn't standing near her like the rest of the SPR and Akira were, but he was watching. Only able to wait like the others.

Suddenly, there was movement and a piercing scream.

"No Mai, you shouldn't be moving so soon -"

"Calm down! It's okay!"

With everything she'd gone through, she was having a nightmare. Naru rushed to her side. He stopped for a moment as he watched her forehead bead with cold sweat, as her face twisted into a grimace of some horror only she was witnessing. He put a cool hand to her cheek and called to her with a strong tone. There was no response. He looked to Takigawa with the silent question.

"I don't know." He replied tightly. "She just started -"

Something connected with the side of his face. Takigawa stepped back with the back of his hand pressed against his reddening cheek. Mai blindly swung her arm again.

"Mai!" There was another loud slap. Silence followed shortly. Ayako was leaning over Mai with worry painted across her face. She gave the limp girl a small shake as Mai's breathing slowed down.

"Aya...ko."

"W-works every time." Ayako said breathlessly.

"Are you okay Mai?" Takigawa asked softly.

"Where am I? Help me...get me out...where am I?" Mai began whispering words, pleas that chilled Naru. He walked over and held her gaze until she seemed to notice who he was. His eyes pinned her down. She grabbed his arm with desperation.

"Naru, get me out."

"You are." He answered gently. "You don't need to worry anymore."

For a moment, it seemed as though she hadn't heard him. But then the girl let out a deep sigh of relief. Mai continued to shed silent tears as Ayako took her into her arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Chapter 11: All is Lost

It was several more agonizing minutes before Mai could speak coherently. Her tears had stopped, as well as the fear of being taken away again. She was no where her usual cheery self, but the weary relief of being reunited with her SPR members brought back a healthy glow to her cheeks. She remained on the pull-out mattress on Lin's orders with Ayako, Masako, John and Takigawa close by.

"She needs to be taken to the hospital," Akira said as soon as Mai had regained herself. The teen stood to face Naru and pointed his finger. "She's in shock from whatever happened while she'd vanished. It's not safe for her to be sitting in the same room that – that took her away in the first place!"

"You think we haven't tried leaving yet?" Takigawa demanded suddenly as if Akira had spoken to him. "Does it look like we're staying here out of our own free will? Talk like that when you've contributed to the situation."

Everyone was tense again. No one had a positive light to their thinking, only worries and anxieties.

"The cars won't start Asou-san," John reminded him. "It's a two and a half hour walk to get back into the city. Mai-san's condition would have only deteriorated. We didn't have a choice but to bring her back in the house."

Akira licked his lips and shifted on his feet. "Well what about now? A couple hours isn't that bad. One of us should go. The house isn't keeping us in anymore, right ol' man?"

Lin shot the boy a glare, but nodded.

"But it won't last," Masako said. "Mai came back, and I don't think that she was meant to."

"There were never survivors before." John stated.

"Yes. The presence from before won't be happy that its plans were foiled. It's sure to – " Masako's eyes widened. She let out a soft breath before falling to her knees, gasping.

"Hara-san?" John reached forward and steadied her back to her feet.

Masako pressed her hand tight to her lips before releasing the pressure with caution. "It's back sooner than I expected it would react," she whispered. "The presence is stronger, filled with malice."

Everyone tensed. It wasn't over yet. They could hear a dull thud that sounded from the end of the hall, as if the spirit was sending an ominous warning. A familiar darkness seeped into the room and throughout the rest of the house. There was the quiver of anticipation.

"Not making its move yet, is it?" Takigawa asked with a grim smile. "Good. It should know by now that we're going to be a challenge. Especially after it thought it could mess with one of us."

Naru silently crossed his arms with a frown. He sent Masako a questioning glance and asked with some hurry, "You said that Mai wasn't supposed to come back. What makes you say that other than the fact that there hasn't been any other survivors?"

Masako looked down to avoid his eyes. With an almost embarrassed demeanor, she said, "My intuition as a practiced medium. The spirit wants her back. It won't stop until it gets Mai back and is done with her."

Naru closed his eyes "Can I trust your instincts Hara-san?"

"Yes." She said without hesitation.

He was silent for a moment, a hand under his chin displaying himself in a train of thought.

"Do you have some sort of plan or idea?" Ayako finally asked.

"Almost," He replied. "Lin, I want you to re-strengthen the shiki that you put up outside of the base and then see if we can get any signal."

"Okay."

"And most importantly..." Naru turned to Mai, and slowly, all other pairs of eyes followed.

"We need to hear what happened to you. Where you went, how you got out, and who you saw."

"Hey now, can't you let her rest a bit longer? It's insensitive to ask her something like that when you don't know what she went through." Ayako said with a frown.

"No, it can't."

"Why you -"

"No, it's okay," Mai said, not taking her eyes away from Naru. "I've wasted enough time as it is. I'm fine now. I'll tell you."

Naru nodded.

...

By the time Mai had finished her story, it had grown dark outside.

"I don't know how I got out," Mai admitted. "I just felt a strong urge to go outside, like a voice in my head, and ended up by the lake. That was when Naru showed up."

It was a chilling tale that shocked everyone. There was the mystery of how she'd disappeared under everyones noses, why she'd experienced something from the past, how she'd returned to them unharmed. Mai obviously hadn't been herself when she'd acted certain ways. The girl Aya, identified as Kana's older sister, didn't seem to have any negative feelings towards anyone. More so, it seemed as though she'd tried to help Mai. But then again, she'd been the one who told Mai to follow her away, to show her something.

Certain details from her story slowly brought things together. She remembered the white ribbons in Kana's hair that she had put in her pocket.

_Ribbons. They were hair ribbons for young girls. It was long and smooth, yet terribly folded and creased. Mai wondered what it was doing in the wardrobe, wondered who it belonged to. Her first thought was the maid, but she had a nagging feeling that it wasn't. _

And there was when John had seen in the painting in the shack.

_He imagined that the painting had once been full of color and life. Now the whole painting looked as if it was of no importance to anyone anymore. Leaning in a bit more closely, John suspected that the white was some sort of ribbon…the same thin and long strip of it was in the hair of another young girl._

Matsumoto Reiko, Aya and Kana's stepmother, had been portrayed as the victim in Mai's experience.

"Were you taken over by Aya's spirit when you...attacked Matsumoto-san?"

Mai looked away with a small frown. "Yes."

"So from the information that we've gathered, there are two potential scenarios," Naru started. "Hara-san, John and Lin mentioned that there were several spirits, but only one that held evil intentions and had the most presence -"

"It wasn't Aya or Matsumoto Rekio."

All heads turned towards the brunette that had spoken. Mai winced as she sat up straighter, but her voice and words was as strong as ever. "It's Kana-chan."

"Kana?" Takigawa asked. "But wasn't it the older sister who took you in your dream?"

"Yeah, but...I felt something entirely different from Kana. Even though she was the one who died, there was something so disturbing about her. The way she looked at me, said things, treated me. It was like she was the only one not part of the situation I was in. The way she looked at me..." Mai didn't know how to form her feelings into convincing words.

"You should rest for now." Naru stopped her. He looked at her with as much worry he would allow to show. It was as if Mai had gone into a trance. He didn't want her reliving what she'd gone through ever again. He paused before roaming his eyes across the room. "You all should. We need our strength, and some of you haven't slept in the past 24 hours. Mai, we'll take what you said into consideration. You can tell us more after a nap."

"O-okay." Mai felt comforted, if not warm by Naru's words. She fell back into a comfortable position. The room began to spin before her eyes as she neared the edge of sleep. She breathed out and something else soon followed her sigh with a slow, broken voice.

_Hmmm hmm hmmmm_

The hum was emitted as softly as a passing breeze, and yet it caught the attention of everyone in the room. The haunting humming that was so familiar to Takigawa floated into his mind again. He turned to Mai and walked towards her with a perplexed look.

"Was that you Jou-chan?"

Mai looked at him with eyes he did not recognize. She smiled and said with a dry whisper, "I want her back."

Takigawa staggered back, taking Ayako with him, away from the bedside.

"Who are you?" He demanded. A sudden coldness gripped him.

But there was no answer. Instead, Mai fell asleep and above her head a looming darkness that no one had noticed slowly disappeared.

...

"I think that Mai 's assumption is correct." Masako said.

Naru had given them an hour to nap or relax, but no one had been able to. No one could take their minds of the case for even a minute. They all realized that they were close to the end, to solving the case and finding the truth. Masako spoke up as soon as the SPR and Akira gathered around a far off table.

"Kana is the one who killed the girls who came here, not the stepmother or older sister."

"And the other spirits trapped here, the apparitions that we all saw, were those of tormented spirits who died or were killed here," Naru finished.

"Now we just need to figure out what Kana's motives are." John whispered.

Takigawa sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We really need to solve this case before Mai wakes up again. But _I _think we should just put this to an end. It should have been dropped the moment Mai had been found. The house should be taken down and the site purified." He looked towards Naru, daring the young man to act up his ego.

"Even if we just left," Naru explained with exasperation, "There wouldn't be a guarantee that Mai won't be haunted the rest of her life."

"A spirit away from its haunting site is nothing serious. If Mai carries around the protections Ayako and I supply her with, she'll be fine. Besides, if she stays here any longer, she could die!"

"The monk's right, you guys should just quit." Akira intervened, trying to catch eyes with someone who would agree with him. He gulped and nodded.

"If you couldn't tell already with your genius mind, it's not that simple." Naru said stoutly.

"Just leave, will you? You want Mai to die?"

"Why do you sound so desperate all of a sudden?" Takigawa asked with annoyance.

"This...this is more than I bargained for. It's getting way out of hand."

"What do you mean?" Ayako asked immediately. The suspicion in her voice was demanding.

The question made Akira stop his nervous movements and give out a small laugh. "Nothing. Well, I didn't plan on -"

"What did you do?" Takigawa bared down on the boy with a rough look.

"I just...it was an innocent - "

"He brought Mai here on purpose." Naru interjected with realization.

At that uttered possibility, everyone blinked with disbelief. They turned and looked at Akira as if he'd just appeared there out of thin air. He took a step back from the stares he was receiving.

"W-Why would I do something like that?"

"Beacause you knew she had psychic powers, even if they fluctuated and were untrained." Naru stood up and placed a hand to the desk between him and the young man. He spoke softly, but with concealed anger in his tone. "You and your father always had interest in paranormal activities and you fully well knew about the spirits here. When you found out that Mai worked part-time for an office that dealt with such activities, you wanted to bring her here and get some spirits riled up. Your father would have loved the chance to deal with real spirits. Am I wrong?"

Akira couldn't deny the claim.

Masako spoke upas well. "I...felt a terrible spirit here the day I arrived to look around, and it tried to get at me, but then went away without reason. In my whole life as a medium, that has never happened before. Now it's obvious. If Mai and I had entered the house at the same time, it would have been me who'd gone through the nightmare that Mai lived through now. I'd be the one lying on the bed with fear. But because Mai caught its attention first, I was spared."

Their words held Akira in place. Masako and Naru were right, right about everything. He closed his eyes hard and put his face in his trembling hands. "What have I done?"

"The situation has become a life or death matter because of your childish interests and thoughtless behaviors!" Takigawa shouted angrily. "I can't believe this..."

"Mai?" Lin said.

Lin's unexpected voice drew everyone in. They all turned to see Mai standing next to them, as if she'd been there from the start, listening in to everything. It startled them with a chill, more so when Mai slowly made her way to the computers that were once again blinking for connections. She made no responses to the call of her name, or Naru's hand on her shoulder, only walked on until a pale finger reached out to touch the single black screen. She froze. All noise abruptly stopped, as if the stop button had been pressed. And then there was the room displayed on the screen, the wardrobe standing and demanding all attention. The rest of the room was black. It wasn't the type of darkness that prevented you from seeing definite lines and objects. This was a pure black that erased everything from vision. Within that blackness was the shape of a little girl. Her head was down, body completely still. The screen shook with static as the seconds passed. Slowly, the SPR members closed in to see.

The head snapped up with gruesome speed.

Suddenly, all that was surrounding them were voices and rapping sounds.

_"Give her back! Give her back give her back!" _Kana shrieked. Her breath was labored with heavy tears, her face twisted with furious agony. _"Why do you all want to die? Be my sister! Protect me! Love me! Stay with me!"_

"You tried to kill her." Naru said back calmly. "You'll never put your hands on Mai again."

Kana's eyes widened, black pits taking over her face. _"No no no no no no! Give her back! GIVE HER BACK!"_

The whole room shook. The computers and screens began falling off their shelves. Everyone was forced to their feet and the screaming grew in volume.

She screamed and screamed, the haunting words bringing tears to Mai's and Masako's eyes. But unexpectedly, something went through them simultaneously; a glimmer of the past, emotions, fears and regrets. And suddenly, all was clear to only them. They staggered with the weight of the truth. No one else noticed.

Naru took Mai away from the screen, even as she shouted out with pain, even as she tried with all her strength to get back to Kana, to hug her. Mai couldn't see or hear clearly. Takigawa shouted something and everyone started for the door. She felt something leave her and escape. When Naru's pull turned her body around and her eyes when to the far corner of the SPR base, she saw Aya's decaying body. Shudders animated her wet, bent figure as she moaned a message.

_**Get out now**_

It was the same voice as the one that had told her to get out of the house, towards the lake. Mai tried to call back but someone took her away.

Something about escaping, chaos. It was happening all so fast that Mai couldn't understand. She was in someones arms, but it wasn't comforting. Something was stil jabbing at her like an unpulled sliver. Everything was like a dream-like state for her, punctuated only by pangs of overwhelming emotions.

It was when it was too late that the realization was made. Someone was missing and still inside the burning building. It exploded, a giant mixture of ash, flames and wood. Mai screamed at the top of her lungs. Her breath was gone – no, someone was still inside…

The building collapsed and her vision faded. For the first time in months, Mai fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Epilogue: The Last Goodbye

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2010, whoohoo! I'm back at UW for second quarter and here is the next chapter. I'm sorry, first year of college has been so busy

Hey, any of you readers have facebook? Friend me and send me your fanfic name so I know! Find me with Jeehyon Shin


	13. Chapter 12 Epilogue

Epilogue

The white lights of the hospital room were blinding. Mai blinked tightly, begging the dots of flashing brightness to fade away. It caused tears to form. Hot, a nuisance.

Naru was there next to her; everyone else was still being treated from burns or cuts. Masako was resting from complete use of energy. She and Takigawa were both still unconscious.

Naru was holding her hand – she could barely feel it through the layers of bandages all up her arms. Worry. It was on his face. Mai's body felt numb and distant. That look didn't look comforting on his face - it didn't belong there.

She blinked, this time to keep tears from falling down the side of her face. She couldn't help but let out a jagged sigh and in reaction to it, Naru tightened his grip. Though his expressions were void of emotion now, his voice was filled with true remorse. Only patches of what he was saying got to her, but it was enough to let the tears fall.

"I'm....Asou-san was…it was a horrible death."

Mai chocked and turned away, taking her hand with her.

...

The rest of the week at the hospital passed in fastforwarding motion. It was a blur of questions and examinations. There was a short period when Akira's parents showed up to talk to Naru, ending with cries and heartaches. Tension filled up as each SPR member reflected on what had happened inside the house, all of which now seemed so long ago. Not many words were spoken between them. And just like that, the check-ups were over and all seemed to come to an end.

One by one, the SPR members left to go home, to bury the past few days and live on as normally as they could until Naru would call them back. Mai was the last to leave, and she refused to let Takigawa or Naru to escort her home.

There was a funeral set for Asou Akira, but none of them were invited.

The day she got back to her apartment, Mai was half expecting news reporters to jump out of bushes and flood around her. Instead, it was as quiet and as alone as ever. She spent the day in silence. The first night back, she had the first dream since the house fire. It started out exactly like how it had all began. A little girl was standing there, in front of a looming door.

"Mai," She simply whispered. And with her name, everything felt as though it'd been explained. The surrounding shades of darkness gave away to the creeping morning light from a nearby window. It was a golden ray that fell upon the little girl. Features formed on her face, bright and smiling. A taller, older girl walked up next to Kana and braided into her hair long white ribbons. Kana giggled, her fingers playing with the hem of her dress as she patiently waited. Then, taking each others hands, they faced the door and walked in together, erasing themselves forever.

Slowly, she started to forget. The rest of the night stretched into a long, peaceful sleep. Mai never saw them in her dreams again.

...

The next morning when she woke up, Mai realized that she was supposed to head over to the SPR for the closing statements for the Autumn Room case after school. It air was refreshing. Mai felt the best she had in months and almost felt giddy as she got ready.

As she packed her backpack, something fell from between the books and fluttered to the ground, beside her feet. Mai tilted her head with confusion. A picture? It was of two young men she didn't recognize, posing beside a pond. One was much younger than the other, but was nearly as tall.

_There was the sound of his hand sliding into his coat jacket. Mai looked at him again and had to focus her eyes for a moment to see the object that was being held in front of her face. _

_"Is…that you?" Her voice came out as an unintentional giggle towards the end of her question. The picture showed the figures of two young boys, posing with frisbees in their hands and frozen laughter plastered onto their faces. Mai safely assumed that the other boy, older by a couple of years, was Akira's late brother. _

_Akira shrugged, trying to hide his embarrassment. __"Whatever. I want you to have it."_

_Mai raised an eyebrow with amusement. __"Don't tell me you were planning this?" _

_"Shut up. Just take it." He sniffed. "It's a bit old, but I don't have any recent pictures of me."_

_Mai reached over and snatched it from his hand, a playful grin on her face. She felt somewhat relaxed. "Thanks. I shall take good care of it."_

An intense pain spread at her temples. She winced and pressed a hand against her watering eyes. A few moments later, she reopened them to find that the headache had already disappered. It was strange, the feeling that went through her. She was suddenly aware of all the sounds outside her window, of the warmth on her face and the largeness of her room.

When she moved her hand, Mai realized that something was in it. A picture. She stared at it with blank emotions, and slowly turned it over. On the back read - Asou Akira. What was this feeling? Mai read the name again, and turned back to the picture of the boy that caught her eye - his face bringing arousing clogged up feelings inside her chest. Who was he? Why did she have a photo of a random boy? Maybe it belonged to one of her friends, who'd accidentally dropped it in her bag.

Looking at it made her feel somewhat painful and it was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. Yet sad. She decided that it must have accidentally found itself into her backpack - no matter how unlikely it seemed. Though it took some effort, Mai tore her eyes from the photo and lowered it from her view. Well, it didn't matter. If she took any longer, she would be late for her first period class.

Mai crumpled up the photo and threw it away.

Two Months Later

"Mai, tea."

" 'Kay."

He sipped some of the beverage as soon as it was set down on his desk. Ignoring his assistant ("How in the world can you drink something so hot without burning yourself?) and reading some files that could be related to a new case. This one had to do with a school that was being haunted by a girl. The outline was the usual, but some of the details were quite interesting.

Giving up her rants, Mai pouted and walked out of his office. Naru looked up as he heard the _click _of his door closing.

She was back to normal and things were how they used to be. Mai was back to being his assistant. Cases were coming in regularly, and everyone had recovered from their most recent case.

No one could explain what was happening when Mai had walked in that day, ready to talk about the case but not having any memory of who Asou Akira had been. Post traumatic stress disorder. Or Dissociative Amnesia. It was the only logical reasoning Naru could come up with for Mai's sudden selective loss of memory. She seemed to remember other parts of the case, but where Akira had been were white blanks she couldn't understand. It had shocked everyone. But instead of telling her the painful truth, they unanimously decided to leave it be.

"Naru!"

He looked up at his assistant with a questioning glance.

"Here's the report for the latest case. Lin wanted me to hand it over to you."

"Leave it right there."

Mai left promptly, but not before giving him a large, silly grin. As Naru reached over to read the report, he couldn't help but think that even though she'd forgotten everything, it was more than he could have ask for. It was best they all moved on.

_The__ Autumn Room Case_

_Duration_: October 20th 2009 – October 22nd 2009

_Background_: After Kawazoe Saki passed away, Len remarried to Matsumoto Reiko who soon moved in with him to live with him and his two daughters, Kana and Aya. On November 3rd, 1993 while Kawazoe Len was in the city for business, Kawazoe Kana and Matsumoto Reiko were found murdered in their own home. Several days later, Kawazoe Aya was found in the lake behind the house. Her death was decided as suicide after murdering her sister and stepmother. The case was closed by the end of the year and the house was soon left deserted.

Hana Inoue, 17, was the first victim of the house 2 years after the Kawazoe family's deaths. Hana-san passed away in her sleep, buried beneath four layers of sheets. Her windpipes had been crushed but without a fingerprint on her.

A year passed before the Saito family moved in. Saito Mina, 15, was the second victim. She was found in one of the rooms upstairs, the one with no windows and the single light bulb broken. She passed away from heart failure. The victim had never experienced heart problems before.

Yoshida Junko, 17, and her father rented the house two years after, enticed by the low price of the house. Yoshida Junko was found in a cupboard in the kitchen by her father, her bones broken in several places where she had been forced inside the small space.

The last victim was Fujimoto Sakura, 14. She was found dead in a closet, her chest crushed and her nails torn off.

All four families experienced a sort of strange paranormal event before their daughters deaths, like an "omen."

_Report_: The cause of the hauntings was the spirit of the deceased Kawazoe Kana. The SPR members came across all of the spirits that had passed away in the house. Taniyama Mai, a part-time worker, was the first to see the entity of Kawazoe Kana and Aya well before she'd entered Asou's estate. There were several sightings then, by different SPR members while in the house.

In a dream in the kitchen, Taniyama Mai saw Yoshida Junko, just as Yoshida's father had found her.

Hara Masako became possessed by Hana Inoue and lead John Brown into the woods.

In an unexplained incident, Takigawa Houshou was stranded in the house away from the base, and was chased by what we presume to be Fujimoto Sakura's unrested spirit.

In a similarly unsolved situation, Taniyama Mai found herself dreaming of the room that Saito Mina had been found in. And then in a bizarre incident, Taniyama-san experienced the Kawazoe murders that had happened in 1993.

Kawazoe Kana drew in girls who were older than her in want of a new older sister, one who would save her before being killed by their stepmother. Kawazoe Aya, in an attempt to save the girls from being caught in a never-ending role-play, brought them to their deaths as salvation. Because Taniyama Mai was the only girl with supernatural powers who had ever entered the house, Kawazoe used Taniyama as a vessel to act out the 1993 deaths and bring things full-circle to an end.

_Casualties_: Lost all equipment in house fire. May Asou Akira rest in peace.

_Closing Status_: Solved

* * *

Concluded

* * *

It's over! Thank you to everyone who read and followed this story the past couple of years. I apologize for the infrequent updates.

Please leave a final review if you read this last chapter, I'd like to know what you thought =)

Look forward to new GH stories called Forever Yours, Mana and The Price of Perfection. Whichever I feel like uploading first, I suppose. See you then, bye bye

-Sayuri


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